Aftershocks I
by Rachel500
Summary: A series of TAGs for Seasons One and Two. What really happened with SG1 after and in between their missions? How did Daniel and Teal'c become friends? And how did Jack and Sam begin to fall for each other?
1. Not Belonging

Stargate SG1 is somebody else's, probably MGM/Gekko Corp/Sci-Fi, and I freely admit that whoever's it is, I'm borrowing their show and they retain all rights, etc.

**Author's Note: **This is the first volume of Aftershocks covering Seasons One and Two. Creating five volumes (two seasons each) seems a sensible move but I assure you all that it is still my intention to complete Aftershocks for ALL seasons of SG1.

There are spoilers in each chapter as this is a series of TAGs that focus on how the characters reacted to their various missions, what impact it had on them and their relationships. Each chapter is a TAG; each is complete and can be read stand alone although as in the episodes, there are continuing themes. Pairings are in line with those established within the series either real or suggested, (e.g. Jack/Sam, Daniel/Sha're, Teal'c/Drey'auc). There is an author's note preceding each story with any specific story dynamics highlighted.

o-O-o

**Author's Note: **Sam/Daniel/Jack friendship.

**The Children of the Gods Recap:**_ When Apophis comes through the decommissioned Earth Stargate, Colonel Jack O'Neill is recalled and a team including Captain Samantha Carter, a theoretical astrophysicist, is sent to Abydos to retrieve Daniel Jackson. Whilst they are there, Apophis snatches Daniel's wife Sha're and her brother, Skaara. The team return with the injured to Earth and are informed about the formation of the Stargate programme. O'Neill, Carter and Jackson will form SG1. Their first mission is to the planet which Apophis dialled escaping from Abydos. On Chulak, the team are quickly captured and only escape with the help of Apophis's First Prime, Teal'c who has come to believe the Goa'uld are not Gods. Unfortunately, the team is too late to save Sha're and Skaara who are both taken as hosts. SG1 makes it back to Earth by the skin of their teeth along with a number of alien refugees and Teal'c…_

**Not Belonging **

Doctor Daniel Jackson looked at the plate of food in front of him and wondered why he'd even bothered to come to the commissary for breakfast. There was a gnawing sensation in his gut but he knew it had little to do with hunger and everything to do with the fate of Sha're. His wife had been taken as a host by a Goa'uld, a parasitic alien. Not just Sha're but his brother-in-law Skaara, a young kid barely on the threshold of manhood.

It was his fault.

That was the stark truth of it. His fault. He had been the one who had decided to resurrect the buried Stargate on Abydos. His discovery of the cartouche with its myriad of gate addresses had pricked his curiosity. Curiosity. He had lost his wife because he had been curious to see whether any of the addresses actually worked. They had unburied the gate and began trying to establish a wormhole, naïvely excited that they might find another world to explore. He had been so sure with Ra defeated that there was no threat, had instituted the guard rotation at the gate simply to allay the concerns of the Abydonians. He had been as arrogant and blindly confident as a Goa'uld. He had been a fool.

He stirred the cereal in front of him listlessly. Colonel Jack O'Neill wouldn't have made the same mistake that he had, he thought ignoring the slightly sulky edge to his inner voice. The military man would have left the gate buried probably pointing out that there were any number of threats out there that Daniel hadn't considered. Only Jack hadn't been with him on Abydos to offer any words of caution so Daniel had unburied the gate which brought his weary mind back to his original deduction; it was his fault Sha're was gone.

Daniel put the spoon down and took off his glasses to rub at his blue eyes tiredly. He'd spent the night before in the temporary quarters at the base and hadn't been able to sleep. He could pretend it had something to do with the strangeness of being within the confines of a mountain or the noise of the base alarms going off constantly but truthfully he knew the main reason for his insomnia was because he was haunted by the sight of Sha're on the arm of Apophis. His marriage may have started from a misunderstanding but it had quickly evolved into a true love match. There were nights on Abydos when he simply watched her sleep and wondered that such a beautiful, sweet woman loved him. With Sha're, for the first time in his life he had felt like he was important to someone, that he truly belonged somewhere. He shifted uncomfortably, aware that he most definitely felt like he didn't belong in the commissary, or the base for that matter. His eyes drifted around the various tables to a group of Air Force men sat together exchanging banter and laughing. No, he definitely didn't belong here. Unlike Jack.

He had seen it when they had arrived back from Abydos. Jack might have been forcibly recalled to active duty but there was no doubt he belonged amongst the throngs of military men. Jack just seemed to slip into the base's rhythm with an ease that Daniel envied. Nobody was going to question whether Jack belonged. More than that, Daniel mused reaching for his coffee, whether Jack realised it or not, he was respected by the men around him including Hammond, the base commander; something else Daniel envied. Daniel had to admit, if only to himself, that there was just something about Jack that inspired confidence and he had to admire that about Jack even if he didn't always agree with his approach or his methods. Maybe even instinctively Daniel wanted to believe in Jack too. His mind slipped back to the day before, to standing in front of the Stargate…

'_She's out there somewhere, Jack.' Daniel murmured almost helplessly._

'_I know, Daniel. So's Skaara.' Jack's quiet words brought a flush to Daniel's cheeks and reminded him that his wife had not been the only victim of his idiot notion to unbury the gate._

'_So what do we do?' The tone was more plaintive than he'd have liked, more than one man asking another…maybe even more than one friend asking another._

'_We find them.' Quiet words spoken with confidence and purpose and Daniel wanted to believe in them so much; too much._

'Doctor Jackson, would you mind if I joined you?'

The slightly hesitant female voice nudged him from his reverie. He blinked up at the sight of the tall blonde standing beside his table her hands filled with a loaded tray. Doctor Samantha Carter…or should that be Captain Carter? The third member of the team they were calling SG1 besides Jack and himself.

'Doctor Jackson?' Sam prompted.

'Uh, sorry.' He gestured for her to sit and offered an apologetic smile. 'I'm not really a morning person.'

She smiled a little shyly. 'Oh-seven-thirty is early for a debriefing.'

He glanced over at the substantial breakfast as she started to tuck into it and searched for something to talk about. 'So you're a scientist, right?'

'That's right. Astrophysicist.' She nodded.

'And an Air Force Captain?' He checked.

She nodded again, a hint of amusement creeping into her blue eyes at his incredulous tone.

'Why?' He blurted out.

Sam smiled. 'I wanted to be an astronaut.'

'Really?'

'Really. Plus it's kind of in the family and quite honestly the Air Force lets me play with some pretty cool toys.'

'Like the Stargate.' Daniel murmured.

'Like the Stargate.' She confirmed.

Something popped back into his head and his eyes widened a little. God, his brain had definitely been absent the past couple of days. 'Jack said you got the Stargate to work.'

She smiled a little self-consciously. 'Me and a whole lot of other people came up with the technical solution to enable us to dial it, yeah.' Her blue eyes caught his stunned ones and she pointed her knife at him. 'You actually got it to work when you cracked the code of what we actually had to dial.'

He blushed. 'Anybody could have done it.'

'Well, you did it,' Sam said firmly, 'and you got to go on the original mission.'

'Only because I was expendable.' Daniel pointed out. 'Something I'm guessing they think you're not.' He paused. 'I'm sorry…were you here when I was here before?' He barely remembered any of the faces of the people who he'd worked with for the couple of weeks before he'd gone through the Stargate.

Sam shook her head. 'A month before you arrived I was reassigned to the Pentagon to study alternative uses for the Stargate. General West thought Catherine Langford's team wouldn't succeed at discovering the seventh symbol. The civilian scientists were fully up to speed with the dialling program so…' she shrugged. 'I wasn't even aware that the Stargate had been successfully activated until I was recalled by General West to try dialling alternate symbol combinations and that was only after the team who had returned from the original trip had been reassigned elsewhere.'

'Reassigned?' Daniel asked.

'All of their mission reports recommended burying our gate.' Sam shrugged. 'I guess General West didn't want them to know we were going to try again.'

'Yeah, Jack said he was going to recommend burying the gate this end.' He sighed. 'I almost wish I hadn't got it to work. Maybe Sha're would still be…' he gestured vaguely before he stared into his mug helplessly.

Sam swallowed the mouthful of food she was chewing and took a moment to consider her response. 'I read in Colonel O'Neill's mission report that Ra had a ship?'

'Yes.' Daniel nodded.

'So it's likely that these other Goa'ulds have ships too, that they don't just use the Stargate.'

'I guess.' Daniel saw where she was headed and waved his mug at her. 'But that's not the point.'

'Isn't it?' Sam said forking up another mouthful of sausage. 'It seems to me sooner or later, with or without the Stargate, we would have come across these guys and at least with the Stargate we have the opportunity to learn as much as we can to defend ourselves.'

'All I want is my wife back.' Daniel confessed.

Sam's eyes filled with compassion and she fell silent. He dropped his gaze and mentally kicked himself. He looked back up to see her glancing across the room at the table with the other Air Force personnel. She'd probably only sat with him to be polite…

'If you want to join them…' he began.

'What?' Sam looked at him confused.

'If you want to join your colleagues,' Daniel clarified, 'I won't mind.'

'Actually, if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to stay here.' Sam said and concentrated on her food.

Daniel's brow creased and he glanced over at the table she'd been looking at. The group of men were laughing and from the gestures one of them was making it had something to do with the female form. His mind drifted back over some of the comments he'd overheard in the locker room. He hadn't really been listening, too caught up in his own pain and guilt but if it was any indication of what she was subjected to on a regular basis, he _really _couldn't understand why she stayed in the military. He looked back at the young Air Force Captain in front of him, at the way she was determinedly ignoring the table across the mess, considered the fact that she had chosen to sit with him. It couldn't be easy being one of the few women on the base, especially when she was incredibly attractive and smart. Maybe he wasn't the only one who was feeling like they didn't belong. The thought was comforting in a weird way.

He took another gulp of coffee and his eyes strayed to a security man piling a tray high with food. The murmur of the conversation between the man and the server drifted over to Daniel. He was getting food for the prisoner…Teal'c; the Jaffa who had saved them on Chulak. The Jaffa must be feeling even more alienated than anybody else on base, Daniel considered ruefully, after all he was an alien. He felt a twinge of sympathy followed by a rush of anger and rubbed his head at his mixed emotions.

'Do you think he was serious?' He blurted out.

'Huh?' Sam looked up from her food bemused. 'Who about what?'

Daniel gestured. 'Do you think Jack was serious about including Teal'c in the team?'

'I admit it kind of took me by surprise.' Sam admitted.

'Me too.'

Sam reached for her juice and shrugged. 'You know the Colonel better than I do. What do you think?'

Daniel sighed. It was probable that Jack had been serious, Teal'c was an experienced warrior, just the kind of person Jack respected.

Sam read his conclusion on his open face. 'It still has to be approved by the Pentagon and I can't see them readily agreeing to let an alien have that kind of freedom.'

Daniel brightened for a moment. Of course, Jack would need approval; thank God for the military chain of command. He sobered. _'I can't see them readily agreeing to let an alien have that kind of freedom.'_ Sam was right which meant…which meant that the alternative for Teal'c was probably going to be something altogether more unpleasant. Damn the military small mindedness!

'I think he deserves better than being used as a lab rat.' Sam said unconsciously echoing his own thoughts. 'He did risk his own life to save us.'

'Yes, he did.' Daniel murmured. He sighed and pushed a hand through his floppy brown hair. 'At least Jack would have someone on the team that he actually chose besides you, I mean.'

Sam lowered her fork and stared at him. 'Where'd you get the impression the Colonel chose for me to be on the team?'

'Well, you were with him when he came back to Abydos.'

'General Hammond ordered my inclusion.' Sam said quietly. 'I got dumped on him.' Her slightly startled expression gave away that she hadn't meant to be so honest.

'Me too.' Daniel said.

'No.' Sam shook her head. 'I was in the control room sorting out the address for Chulak on the computer when the Colonel spoke with the General. He supported your request and asked for you to be on SG1.'

Daniel was speechless. He'd been on his way to the General's office to demand to be included in the mission to Chulak when Jack had appeared from nowhere and told him to gear up; that Hammond had decided to make him part of SG1 after all. The other man had said nothing, done nothing to indicate he had been part of the decision. Typical Jack. 'Speak of the devil.' He murmured catching sight of Jack entering the mess.

The Air Force Colonel strode across the room to their table oblivious to the looks from the other men in the mess as they sought to get a nod of acknowledgement from him. Instead, Jack's brown gaze seemed zeroed in on his two new team members. He came to a stop beside the table and waved at Carter to sit back down.

'At ease, Carter.' Jack said slipping into the chair opposite her and next to Daniel. 'You officially have permission not to keep jumping up every time I approach. The whole thing just makes me dizzy.'

'Ah…yes, sir.' Carter sat back down and took a deep breath.

Daniel repressed the urge to smile at the confusion in her blue eyes. He guessed Sam hadn't come across a commanding officer like Jack before and from the small frown on her face hadn't quite worked out how to handle him.

'You kids ready for the debrief?' Jack asked as he reached across the table and filched a strip of crispy bacon from Sam's plate.

'Yes, sir.' Sam replied frowning as he crunched on her food. 'Would you like me to get you some breakfast, sir?'

Jack smiled. 'No, Captain. I'm good.' He waved the end of the bacon at her. 'I heard your computer thing came up with a couple of addresses?'

She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes lighting up. 'I worked on it a little last night and tweaked the code on one of the subroutines…' her voice trailed off at the Colonel's hard glare. 'Yes, sir. It came up with two addresses.'

Daniel wondered if Jack realised how much his 'cut-to-the-chase' attitude had crushed the young Captain. It was there in the dimming of her blue eyes and the set expression on her classically beautiful features. He had a horrible sneaking suspicion he looked the same way when Jack did it to him.

'Sounds like the programme you wrote worked great.' Daniel murmured and was pleased when she shot him a small smile of appreciation.

God help him, Jack thought, geek bonding. For the briefest moment, he felt excluded before he pushed the feeling away and covered his confusion by taking a moment to scan the room as he popped the rest of the bacon he held in his mouth. What the hell was he doing here, he thought for the umpteenth time. Sure, he'd been a little bored the last few months but retirement had its advantages; no regulations and no-one ordering him to lead a team of…of scientists, for crying out loud. He was back for a reason, he reminded himself, safety of the planet no less.

'Any word on what will happen to Teal'c, sir?' Sam asked.

Jack shook his head and swallowed the bacon. 'Hammond was calling the Pentagon.' He looked at them both and cleared his throat. 'I realise my spur of the moment suggestion to have him on the team might have taken you both by surprise.'

'I can't imagine why you would say that.' Daniel said dryly.

Jack shot him a look before the sound of a muffled giggle across the table had his glare turning towards the Captain. Her eyes skittered from his and back to Daniel. Jack followed her gaze and frowned at the smile he caught Daniel giving her. 'Look, right now, he has better knowledge about what's out there than we do. He obviously has military skills we could use. I think he could be an asset in the field and we owe him.' He looked at the surprise on both their faces and deduced it was at his decision to explain why he wanted Teal'c on the team rather than his actual explanation. He sighed with exasperation. 'We're a team now. If Teal'c joins us we all have to make it work.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam nodded.

She would make it work if it came to it, Jack realised with relief. She might be a scientist but she understood orders unlike… 'Daniel?' He checked.

'Jack, it's your team.' Daniel added quietly. 'If you want Teal'c…' he shrugged, 'that's preferable to him ending up in a cell being tortured for the rest of his life by the military.'

Jack stared at Daniel. He gave a brief nod to cover his own feeling of inadequacy in the face of the younger man's generosity. 'Well, if you kids have finished breakfast we should head to the briefing room. It might look good if SG1 turned up before SG2.' He said firmly pushing his chair back to stand.

Daniel and Sam obediently got to their feet to follow him out.

'Jack.' Daniel murmured as Jack slid his card through the reader at the elevator.

'Daniel.' Jack replied as they got in the cramped compartment.

'How much did you bet Kawalsky that we'd get there first?'

'Now why would you…' Jack stopped at the knowing look on Daniel's face. He saw Carter trying to hide a smile and he sighed. 'Ten bucks.' He admitted as the doors slid shut.


	2. Bonding

**Author's Note: **Team friendship.

**The Enemy Within Recap:**_ As Teal'c's fate is being determined, the team discover that Major Kawalsky has been taken as a host by a Goa'uld on the previous mission to Chulak. An operation to remove the parasitic alien is not successful and Kawalsky is killed attempting to escape from Earth. As a reward for his help in preventing the Goa'uld from destroying the base and leaving, Teal'c joins SG1 and Hammond gives them a go for their first mission on P3575. _

**Bonding**

Teal'c was the first out of the Stargate on P3-575. It wasn't the first time he had travelled through a wormhole created by such a device but it was the first time he had done so as part of a team of Tau'ri warriors called SG1 and not as the First Prime of Apophis, the Serpent God – False God, he automatically corrected in his head. The Jaffa hefted his staff weapon grateful for the small familiarity in amongst the other changes. He was dressed in the clothes of the Tau'ri, a basic uniform of black undershirt, green pants and jacket with a protective vest fitted over the last. The warrior called O'Neill had assured him that the lumpy black item was a type of armour but it seemed flimsy and insubstantial to him. It also bothered him, if he was being honest, that he only had three of the Tau'ri by his side and not a loyal guard of Jaffa. His dark eyes scanned the woodland in front of them, watching for trouble.

The Jaffa trained from birth to be warriors; it was the purpose of their being after all. Even the youngest Jaffa were able to defend themselves adequately and were confident with weapons. Teal'c had been trained by the best, his predecessor as Apophis's First Prime, Master Bra'tac. The thought of Bra'tac inevitably brought with it thoughts of home. He was confident Bra'tac would see to his abandoned family but Teal'c felt a fleeting sensation of homesickness, an aching worry for his wife and son. It was quickly pushed away; he could not afford the weakness. He had made his decision to finally take a stand against the Goa'uld, against his False God and he had to see it through. He had to get used to the fact he no longer had a loyal guard of Jaffa to watch his back and never would again as he was shol'var, traitor. He only had the three Tau'ri who followed him out of the Stargate and despite his belief that he was going to spend the rest of his life saving them from themselves, he couldn't deny that they were different from the other humans he had encountered. It gave him hope; the reason why he had helped O'Neill at the palace in the first place.

O'Neill was the next one through the Stargate. His weapon immediately poised as he took the few steps down the Stargate on the opposite side to Teal'c. The Jaffa glanced across and was reassured at the calculating look in O'Neill's brown eyes, the experienced way he looked out at the tree-line before his body relaxed imperceptibly. Teal'c had determined that O'Neill was a fellow warrior, trained differently in combat and weapons, but a warrior.

The woman was the next out of the Stargate. Teal'c pursed his lips thoughtfully at the experienced way she held her weapon and scanned the area. No Goa'uld would ever countenance having females as warriors yet it would seem the Tau'ri female was trained to be one. Teal'c wondered at that. It was clear she had beauty, diminished it was true by the uniform, but enough that it did not go unnoticed by the male Tau'ri. He had a lot to learn about their customs, he realised. The woman, Doctor Samantha Carter, certainly had spirit and he was reminded again of Drey'auc, his wife, and again ruthlessly smothered the thought.

The final Tau'ri out of the wormhole was the one that concerned Teal'c most. Doctor Daniel Jackson. The tall, rangy male was clearly not a warrior. He carried no weapon and from what Teal'c could see from his body posture, he had no training at all. Yet it wasn't this that worried Teal'c. It was clear to him that the man had a deep emotional attachment to the woman who was host to the Goa'uld Ammonet, that she had been his mate. Teal'c felt his conscience stir. He was responsible for taking the woman from her planet of origin, stealing her away from this man and more, he was responsible for randomly choosing her for the implantation. Teal'c knew Doctor Jackson was unaware of the extent of his involvement in what had happened and he swallowed the urge to fully confess and place his life in the man's hands as his innate sense of honour dictated. Teal'c knew that it was rare the victims of Apophis received any opportunity for justice or vengeance. He could offer Doctor Jackson that…and he would no doubt be dead soon after and unable to offer the Tau'ri the assistance they needed to fight the Goa'uld, he argued with himself. Honour battled with survival, and for the moment, Teal'c let the urge for survival win. He finished his preliminary scan of the area, turned slowly to check their rear position and came to a surprised halt.

o-O-o

'Well, it doesn't look like anything's here.' Colonel Jack O'Neill said, lowering his gun. He waved at the forest in front of them. 'All I got is trees. Captain, what have you got?'

'Trees, sir.' Sam replied briskly.

'Jack.' Daniel protested.

'Daniel.' Jack began.

'O'Neill.'

Teal'c's deep voice interrupted him and Jack looked over at the tall, dark-skinned man – no, not man, Jaffa. He noticed idly that he stood facing them staring back towards the Stargate. 'You got something, Teal'c?'

'Indeed.' Teal'c gestured with his staff weapon at the sight in front of him.

They all turned to see what he was looking at and stared. A pyramid rose of the trees in front of them.

'OK.' Jack said breezily trying to cover his own shock. 'That's something.'

Daniel closed his mouth and adjusted his glasses. 'It looks more Mayan than Egyptian.' He murmured.

'How can you tell?' Sam asked.

'Well, it has a temple on top and there's a staircase leading to it. There's probably another one on the other side. It kind of reminds me of El Castillo in shape although obviously it's much bigger…'

'Daniel.' Jack interrupted in the lecture before the archaeologist could get going. 'Is it worth checking out?'

Daniel stared at the Colonel in surprise. 'Of course it's worth checking out, Jack. I mean the cultural significance of finding this pyramid…'

'Tactically, Daniel.' Jack corrected. 'Is it likely we'll find any weapons or something we can use against the Goa'uld inside this thing?'

Daniel glared at Jack. Typical military mind-set. All he wanted was weapons. Didn't he realise the importance of finding a Mayan pyramid rather than an Egyptian one? Did he even care? The answer was probably no to both questions, Daniel realised. He hesitated over his reply. Typically temples were for ritual sacrifice and for the priests to communicate with the Gods. He doubted that there was the possibility of finding anything of value from a military perspective. Of course, _Jack_ didn't know that and he was looking to Daniel for an answer. He wasn't entirely comfortable with outright lying although there was another way. 'Maybe.' Daniel replied shrugging his shoulders. 'I have no way of knowing until I see more. On Earth, the purpose of the temples was for…'

'Ah!' Jack held up a finger to cut off the detailed explanation he didn't want.

Got you, Jack, Daniel thought smugly. The Colonel would only have himself to blame, after all, Daniel had been about to explain they didn't have a military purpose back on Earth.

'Teal'c?' Jack checked with the Jaffa. 'You know anything about the pyramid that might help us out here?'

Teal'c's gaze shifted from the pyramid to the archaeologist and back to the Colonel. 'I do not.'

'Captain, any thoughts?' Jack asked.

Sam's hopeful blue eyes met his across the clearing. 'It couldn't hurt to check it out, sir.'

Jack considered his options and repressed the urge to sigh. 'OK. We'll do a standard recon on the pyramid. Teal'c and I will take point. Captain, watch our six.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam's snappy acknowledgement of the order contrasted with the Jaffa's raised questioning eyebrow.

'We lead.' Jack explained.

Teal'c nodded, adjusted his hold on the staff weapon and started toward an opening in the tree-line. Jack quickly caught up with him and briefly checked behind to see Daniel following and Carter bringing up the rear. They walked steadily for a long time in silence.

The quiet surprised Jack. He had expected Daniel at least to be talking – not that he was complaining that he wasn't. Maybe they were all using the time to adjust to the insane reality that they were walking on another planet light years from Earth trying to find something that would help them defeat an advanced alien enemy, he considered. He couldn't deny it was a lot to assimilate.

He looked over at Teal'c who was carefully striding forward, constantly alert and watching for danger. He'd made the right call there, Jack thought, and God bless Hammond for coming through for him and getting the Jaffa assigned to SG1. The Jaffa was a skilled warrior. It reassured Jack that he had someone else on his team he could rely on in a fight. He grimaced a little. He was sure Captain Carter would have something to say if he voiced that thought out loud. She was competent and had performed well during the missions to Abydos and Chulak but she wasn't his choice, she was Hammond's. He couldn't believe given what he'd read in her file and her obvious value as a scientific asset to the programme that she was being assigned to any frontline team, let alone his. At any rate, she was trained and knew how to follow orders unlike their final team member; Daniel.

What had possessed him to ask Hammond to include Daniel in the team? Jack grumbled to himself. Carter could probably take Daniel in a fight. Sure, he owed Daniel; he had saved Jack's life once when he hadn't believed that he had a life worth saving but beyond that…he felt for the guy. Daniel's wife was in enemy hands; his life shattered. Jack's own marriage might be over but he still loved his wife enough to know how he would feel if the situations were reversed. Daniel needed purpose and going through the Stargate was giving him that. Besides, he had to admit that Daniel's knowledge and expertise were useful. They'd just have to see about getting him some basic training when they back on base.

Jack frowned. Maybe they could combine it with some team building. He glanced from Teal'c back to Daniel before he returned his eyes forward. Daniel had assured him that having the Jaffa on the team was better than him being used as a lab rat by military intelligence but even the mild-mannered archaeologist had to have some latent hostility toward the guy who was responsible for helping Apophis steal his wife. Jack might have faith the Jaffa was on their side now, but he couldn't pretend to be happy himself that Teal'c had contributed to what had happened to Skaara, the young kid who had befriended him on Abydos. He knew Skaara wasn't Charlie, but the Abydonian had a lot of the same qualities and somehow letting himself care about Skaara had helped heal some of the wounds torn ragged by his son's death. Seeing Skaara become host to a Goa'uld had ripped some of those wounds back open and losing his friend, Kawalsky, to another Goa'uld hadn't helped either. Jack shoved the personal stuff out of his head ruthlessly as he had done many times before during military operations. Time and place, he reminded himself, focusing on the task at hand.

They marched on.

The trees suddenly gave way to what looked like the ruined remains of a city and Jack stopped them all at the tree-line and gestured for them to remain low. He pulled out the small surveillance scope and checked the distance between them and the pyramid. Most of the buildings had been destroyed; only the odd wall or column remained standing on the curiously flat vista that stretched out for another few kilometres before it hit the side of the pyramid. There was no movement.

'Teal'c?' He asked.

Another raised questioning eyebrow.

'What do you think?' Jack expanded.

'The city appears to be long abandoned, O'Neill.' Teal'c murmured.

Jack glanced back at Daniel who was taking advantage of the stop to take a drink from his canteen and gestured him forward. Daniel recapped his water bottle and crawled to the edge of the tree-line.

'Wow.' Daniel swallowed in awe. A discovery like this on Earth would mean years of exploration and study. It was incredible.

'What do you think?' Jack asked.

'I think it's incredible.' Daniel replied.

Jack closed his eyes briefly and prayed for patience. 'I mean, is it safe?'

Daniel viewed the ruins with the suddenly experienced eye of an archaeologist, looking for any sign of recent inhabitation. 'This place has been abandoned for a long time, Jack.'

'It is likely that anything of value was removed a long time ago.' Teal'c said.

'We don't know that.' Daniel argued. It was the first time he had deigned to speak with Teal'c beyond a cautious nod of acknowledgement. 'We've often found items of significant interest left in abandoned pyramids and temples on Earth.'

'The Goa'uld would not leave anything that they could use to their own advantage.' Teal'c stated firmly.

'Maybe this place wasn't built by the Goa'uld. The architecture is different.' Daniel pointed out glaring at the Jaffa. 'It might have been built by a completely different race of aliens.'

'Teal'c?' Jack prompted when the Jaffa fell silent.

'It is possible.' Teal'c admitted. 'There are legends told amongst the Jaffa of other races that are as formidable as the Goa'uld.'

'Jack…'

He held up a hand. 'OK. Take five then we'll continue to the pyramid and see if there's anything of value there.'

Five minutes rest soon passed and they all made their way through the ruins of the city with a mixture of trepidation and awe. Daniel was videoing everything and muttering to himself. Jack took it as a good sign but he'd been on the money with the latent hostility thing, he thought, thinking back to Daniel's exchange with Teal'c. The only other time he'd seen that kind of anger in Daniel's eyes was when the other man had realised the hidden mission Jack had been given that first time through the gate on Abydos.

They reached the pyramid without incident and Jack split them up to do a perimeter check. Teal'c and Carter went to the right; he and Daniel went to the left. The choice of pairs had been deliberate; Jack knew he needed to talk to the archaeologist.

'Daniel.' Jack pulled the younger man to a stop and Daniel lowered the video camera in surprise.

'What?'

'You and Teal'c.' Jack said without preamble.

Daniel shrugged. 'What about us?'

'Don't pretend to be dense, Daniel, it doesn't suit you.' Jack said impatiently.

Daniel glared at him. 'What did you expect, Jack? That I was going to welcome him with open arms?'

'Daniel, the guy gave up everything he had to help us and yes, maybe it was too late to save Sha're and Skaara but the only way we're going to get them back is with his help.' Jack adjusted his cap. 'And you know that.'

Daniel couldn't hold Jack's gaze and whirled away. He resolutely lifted the video camera and heard Jack sigh behind him.

'Will you at least try, Daniel?'

Daniel took a deep breath. He knew his own position on the team was down to Jack's personal intervention with Hammond. If he endangered Jack's opinion by not getting along with Teal'c, he knew it was unlikely that there would be much support for him remaining with SG1 or getting a position on another team. He nodded slowly.

'Good.' Jack patted his shoulder and continued the perimeter check.

They all met up again at the bottom of the far staircase.

'We should check out the temple.' Daniel said gesturing at the square structure atop the pyramid. 'If there is anything of value, it's likely up there.'

Jack took his cap off and ran his hands through the short crop of brown hair. 'Are you sure about that, Daniel?'

'Yes.' Daniel said firmly.

'Sir,' Sam interrupted, 'I've been checking the position of the sun. It's currently low in the sky and has been descending for the last two hours. If you assume a rate of declination similar to Earth then it's probable…'

'Captain.' Jack interrupted her. 'What's your point?'

Her blue eyes flashed for a moment before they met his solidly. 'Sir, I think we only have a few hours of daylight left and it will take us two hours to return to the Stargate.'

Jack glanced at the sky and realised she was right. 'Daniel, how much time do you need?'

'Well, I don't know…' He began.

'You have thirty minutes.' Jack said firmly. 'You and Teal'c check out the temple. Carter and I will remain at the base and maintain a watch.'

The desire to argue was written clearly across Daniel's face but then Jack's own face was set in stubborn lines that gave away the older man's determination that his decision was final. Daniel didn't bother wasting the time; he set off up the steps dutifully, Teal'c at his heels.

Jack looked across and saw the brief look of disappointment cross the Captain's face as she watched Daniel and Teal'c. No doubt her own scientific curiosity was roused. Geeks, thought Jack dismissively. Well, if she wanted to be part of a frontline team that meant being a soldier not a scientist. 'Captain, take a look out position at that corner.' He pointed in the direction he meant. 'Checkpoint in thirty on my mark.' He glanced at his watch and was relieved to see her do the same. 'Mark.'

'Sir.' She gave a salute and jogged away to the corner.

Jack sighed and headed in the opposite direction to take up his own position.

o-O-o

Daniel marched up the steps determined not to stop to catch his breath which meant that he wasted a valuable two minutes at the temple entrance simply trying to breathe in the somewhat thin air. He took a staggering step through the doorway and ran a hand down the smooth and completely square frame. It was an outstanding achievement, he mused, especially given its exact duplicate was on the opposite wall, in the exact same position. The pictographs painted on the walls inside quickly got his attention and he moved to get them recorded on the camera, only peripherally aware that Teal'c was checking out the room. Daniel opened up his pack, grabbed his notebook and began sketching. He glanced across at the Jaffa who had come to a halt in front of the wall behind the altar. He wandered up, curious to know what had captured Teal'c's attention.

There was a very faded picture surrounded by square stones inscribed with symbols. Daniel's blue eyes scanned over everything and settled on the picture. He raised a hand but didn't touch the faded colours; he was too well trained an archaeologist for that.

'Quetzalcoatl.' He murmured.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at his companion.

'The picture. It's very similar to those of the God Quetzalcoatl on Earth.' Daniel explained. 'He was usually depicted as a Feathered Serpent.'

'Apophis.' Teal'c suggested.

'No…' Daniel shook his head and responded almost absently. 'The mythology suggests more of a link with Ra, as the Sun God, despite the animal allusions.' He gestured at the symbols. 'Can you read it?'

Teal'c frowned. 'I am uncertain. It is written in an obscure dialect.'

'I recognise some of these symbols.' Daniel muttered. 'Wait there.' He ran back to his pack and pulled out another notebook. He jogged back over, flipping through the pages. He got to the one he wanted as he resumed his position. 'OK. Some of these symbols were on Abydos which makes sense if this was part of Ra's kingdom at some point.' He sank into a cross-legged position and began to translate.

'Doctor Jackson.' Teal'c stated trying to get his attention. 'If this temple belonged to Ra then it is most likely empty of anything that might help the Tau'ri in the fight against the Goa'uld. We should leave.'

Daniel looked up at the Jaffa. 'I need to finish this translation to know that for certain.'

'I believe the time allotted by O'Neill for our examination of the temple will soon be up.' Teal'c said trying another tactic.

'You go ahead and leave if you want.' Daniel muttered. 'I'm staying.'

Teal'c considered his options. He could forcibly drag the man out of the temple but given the precarious nature of their relationship that move was ill advised. He could return to the base alone but then Doctor Jackson would be left unprotected. Or he could try to help with the translation and hopefully both of them would be able to return to the base in a timely way. His decision made he sank to sit beside the archaeologist.

'I believe the symbol to the top left means protection.' He said.

Daniel met the Jaffa's dark eyes in surprise. He was going to help him? He nodded slowly. 'Thank you.'

Teal'c inclined his head.

'What about the one next to it?' Daniel asked and started scribbling.

o-O-o

Sam checked her watch and glanced back up at the temple. The checkpoint had come and gone. She made it ten minutes past the time the Colonel had given for the examination of the structure. She glanced up at the sky and frowned. She reached for the radio but before she could speak it crackled to life.

'Daniel.' It was the Colonel trying to reach their recalcitrant member for the third time since he'd informed the archaeologist his time was up. 'Get your butt down here now.'

'Jack.' Daniel's excitement travelled back across the open channel. 'We've found something.'

'Something useful?' Jack checked.

'There's mention of a hidden chamber in the pyramid where an object of great power resided.' Daniel said. 'The writing isn't explicit as to what that is but…'

'Sir,' Sam interrupted them, 'as much as I hate to say it I don't think we have time.'

'Of course we have time.' Daniel said before Jack could reply.

'The sun is setting much faster than I calculated, Doctor Jackson.' Sam radioed back. 'If we don't leave now we may not make it back to the gate before dark.'

'We can't leave now.' Daniel said furiously. 'We have to look for the object and if you're right and the sun is setting faster than you anticipated then can you really be sure we would make it to the gate before it got dark?'

Sam fell silent and reviewed the data in her head; the position of the sun, where she believed they were on the planet in relation to it, the speed of the planet's rotation.

'Captain?' The Colonel's voice prompted her out of her calculations.

'He's right, sir.' Sam said. 'I can't guarantee we'd be at the gate before dark.'

There was another pause before Jack radioed his decision through. 'Daniel, Teal'c, stay in the temple. We'll use it as a shelter for the night and search for this mysterious object first thing in the morning. Carter, meet me at the staircase.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam checked her position again before she straightened and turned to jog back to the bottom of the staircase. She reached it at the same time as the Colonel.

'After you, Carter.' Jack said waving her upwards.

Sam set a measured pace and tried to ignore the sensation that he was staring at her ass. She might have believed it of Ferretti or the ill fated Kawalsky but Colonel O'Neill seemed to be above that kind of behaviour. Still, she decided, she wasn't going to glance back and check. The Colonel had already proven to have a surprising tendency to, well, surprise her. It was strange, she thought, he hadn't been what she had expected, although thinking back, she wasn't sure what she had expected. His service record made for tough reading and she doubted whether he would appreciate knowing she'd read the unvarnished version. Not that she had any intention of telling him. Hacking into a Pentagon system to get to his full record because she'd been curious at the heavily edited official one was not something she was going to readily admit to anyone; it was likely to get her nothing but a court-martial. In some ways he was exactly what she had anticipated; tough and cynical; obviously knew his military strategy inside out, a good leader, keenly intelligent despite his playing dumb. She knew he was cool under fire and she believed he could and would be a ruthless hardass when he wanted to be. But there was a humanity about him that had surprised her. Like his relationship with the Abydonians, the irreverence about military protocol, the off-beat sense of humour and how he'd spoken up for Teal'c and for Daniel.

She allowed herself to pull a face knowing he wouldn't see it. She knew she was the only member of the team that he hadn't chosen himself, knew she was only part of SG1 because of General Hammond. She had, as she had eloquently if unintentionally explained to Daniel a couple of days before at breakfast, been dumped on the Colonel and despite her light assurance that he would like her when he got to know her, she had a feeling she had an uphill job to convince him that she deserved her place. She smiled wryly. An uphill job when she was slogging her way up the staircase from hell was an apt description. It wasn't going to be her scientific know-how that impressed him either, Sam considered. He'd made it clear the scientist part of her was a negative not a positive in his book. No, this was one military man who was only going to be impressed by her military performance. A bit like her father. She squashed the thought dead. Colonel O'Neill was not her father and she was so not going there. Yes, she wanted to prove herself to him but that was where the similarity ended.

Doctor Jackson seemed nice. He was obviously struggling to come to terms with what had happened with his wife and there was slightly too much of the absent-minded professor about him when they were under pressure but he had a razor sharp intellect and a compassionate heart. Take his acceptance of Teal'c in the team. Well, maybe, acceptance was not the right word but she didn't know too many people who would have been as understanding as Daniel about his inclusion.

She really didn't know what to make of the Jaffa. They definitely owed him their lives and she was glad that he hadn't simply been handed over for experimentation but she wasn't sure he belonged on an SG team. It didn't help that she was jealous, she thought honestly. The Jaffa had quickly gained the Colonel's respect, something she felt she was still earning. She shrugged. It might be tough to get Colonel O'Neill's respect but she'd do it. She took the last step and her eyes widened at the perfect symmetry of the temple structure. She immediately took another step forward to examine it in detail not noticing the wry and knowing look her commanding officer shot her.

'Looks like we made the right call, Captain.' Jack nudged her shoulder and she turned away from her examination of the door to the darkening sky behind them.

Sam frowned and checked her watch. It had taken only an hour for the sun to set; either they were much further north than she had calculated or the planet's rotation was much faster than that of Earth.

'Captain?' Jack asked seeing her face screw up in thought.

'Just thinking, sir.' Sam murmured checking her compass. 'This planet's rotation may be much quicker than Earth's.'

'Which means, Carter?'

'Which means it may only be dark for a few hours, sir.'

'Let's hope.' Jack quipped. It was only eleven-hundred by his watch and it was going to be difficult spending a night on a planet when they were so definitely in daylight hours on Earth time. They needed to check that out with the MALP in future, he noted absently. 'Captain, why don't you go and confer with Daniel. See what you can make of this whole mysterious object thing. I'll stand guard.'

'Sir.' Sam shot off quickly before he could change his mind.

Daniel was sprawled behind the altar; Teal'c at his side. Both of them were poring over one of Daniel's notebooks and glancing up occasionally at the wall.

'Wow.' Sam said taking in the faded picture and symbols. She shucked off her backpack and sat down beside them on the ground. 'So what have you got?'

Daniel took her through the translation. 'We're just working our way through the last of the symbols now.' He explained. 'They just don't make any sense.' He thrust a hand through his floppy brown hair and stared at the wall.

Sam followed his gaze. Her eyes roamed over the structure and she got to her feet. She reached into her pack and snapped on a flashlight to compensate for the rapidly fading light. 'Doctor Jackson, did you notice that these stones seem to be slightly raised from the wall?'

'It could be a decorative thing.' Daniel murmured absently.

Sam glanced down at the final line Daniel and Teal'c had been struggling with. 'What does it say?'

'I told you it makes no sense.' Daniel said impatiently.

'Try me.'

'I agree with Doctor Jackson. The line makes no sense.' Teal'c added.

Daniel sighed at her persistent stare. 'Fine. Down the sun rules here the steps.' He gestured. 'It's nonsense.'

'Or a code.' Sam suggested. 'If you jumbled the symbols around would it make sense?'

Teal'c stared at the wall. 'I believe you are right, Doctor Carter.'

'Yes…yes.' Daniel quickly scribbled an alternate sentence and showed it to her. 'Here.'

'I can't read that, Doctor Jackson.' Sam said apologetically.

'Of course you can't.' Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose. 'It says the sun is down the steps here.'

All three looked at each other. 'What steps?' They said in unison.

'Perhaps it refers to the staircase outside.' Teal'c suggested.

'I don't think so, Teal'c.' Daniel said. 'I think it means steps here.' He pointed down at the floor of the temple.

Sam stared at the floor and suddenly crouched swiping at the dust on the floor. Her nimble fingers found a slight crack and she blew on it.

'Right.' Daniel got what she was doing and moved to help her.

Teal'c rose to his feet and watched in silent amazement as the two humans quickly uncovered what appeared to be a perfect rectangular stone just behind the altar.

Sam knocked the butt of her gun on the stone and bent her head to listen. 'I think it's hollow.' She staggered to her feet and swiped at the dust on her pants. 'So, how do we open it?'

Daniel and she stared at each other as they both came to the same conclusion at the same time. Their gaze shifted sharply to the wall.

'If we depress these in the order of the correct sentence…' Daniel began excitedly.

'Then it should trigger the mechanism to uncover the opening.' Sam finished. Her hand reached for the first symbol.

'I do not believe that would be wise.' Teal'c said firmly before she touched it.

Sam stopped and cautiously withdrew her hand. 'You think it could be booby-trapped?'

Daniel flashed a look of annoyance at the Jaffa. 'I don't think so.'

'Even so, Doctor Jackson, I believe it would be wise to wait until daylight before attempting such an action.' Teal'c said.

'You have got to be kidding me!' Daniel exclaimed passionately.

'He has a point.' Sam intervened.

'We are ill equipped to conduct such a search in the dark, Doctor Jackson.' Teal'c added.

Daniel made a lurch for the wall. Teal'c made a grab for him as did Sam. The three of them struggled.

'Let go of me, dammit!' Daniel yelled furiously.

'If we do, will you promise not to touch the wall?' Sam managed to say as she tried to keep her footing.

'Hey!'

The sharp word had them freezing. They all glanced back across the altar. The Colonel stood in the centre of the temple, the open doorways on either side of him filling the section with moonlight. His dark eyes glared at his team.

He raised a hand from where it rested atop his gun. 'Anybody want to let me in on what's going on?'

The three of them let go of each other. Teal'c managed an impassive face whilst the other two wore sheepish expressions as they turned to face him properly.

'Anybody?' Jack repeated when it seemed nobody was actually going to answer his question.

Teal'c and Daniel looked at Sam.

She stared back at them. Why her? Teal'c raised an eyebrow and Daniel gestured for her to say something. She cleared her throat and met the Colonel's eyes across the shadowy room.

'We were having a small difference of opinion on how to proceed, sir.'

'I see that.' Jack said sharply. 'Proceed with what?'

'We think we've found a staircase behind the altar which will be revealed by pressing the symbols in the correct order on the wall.'

He thanked God her explanation was crisp and to the point. 'So?'

'So, Doctor Jackson would like to proceed immediately with trying to open it whilst Teal'c and I were thinking it might be best to wait until daylight.' Sam completed. 'Sir.' She hurriedly tagged onto the end.

Jack turned his attention to the archaeologist. 'Daniel?'

Daniel sighed. He really didn't have a good reason for proceeding and he didn't think Jack would accept that it was because it was the opposite of what Teal'c wanted to do as a valid one. 'Fine.' He threw up his hands. 'Let's just all sit…' he voice trailed off at the sight of a shadow stealing into the temple.

'What?' Jack asked whirling to see what Daniel was staring at.

A big cat launched itself at Jack who took a staggering step back, tried to bring his gun into position and realised it was going to be too late…he instinctively dropped to the floor, raised his hands over his head…

The clattering sound of a gun echoed harshly in the temple and was followed by the dull thud of the body hitting the ground.

Jack lowered his arms from his head cautiously. 'Argh.' He scuttled backwards at the sight of the dead cat inches from his position, its mouth still in an angry snarl. It looked like a jaguar or a panther, only bigger. He felt a hand at his elbow and he realised Teal'c was pulling him to his feet. His eyes landed on the Captain who was covering them both with her weapon.

'Are you alright, O'Neill?' Teal'c asked.

'I'm good.' Jack brushed the front of his jacket a little self-consciously and held Sam's eyes as he gave a nod of acknowledgement. 'Nice shooting, Captain.'

'Sir.'

Jack signalled for Teal'c to check one opening while he checked the other. 'I have more of them coming up the steps on this side.'

'As do I.' Teal'c agreed. 'I count at least ten.'

Jack's mind ran through their options. 'Daniel, get that staircase open.'

'But…' Daniel protested.

'Do it.' Jack ordered. 'It's our only way out.'

'The mechanism might not even work after all this time.' Daniel warned as he hurriedly searched for the combination he had scribbled down.

'Carter, take over from Teal'c and cover the right side of the pyramid. Teal'c, help Daniel.'

'Sir.' Sam moved to the doorway and her eyes widened at the sight of the cats approaching. She heard Jack let loose warning shots and did the same as the cats got close to the top of the steps.

'Daniel.' Jack yelled.

'I'm almost done.' Daniel shouted back. He indicated the final square and Teal'c pushed it forcefully down. The ground shook and suddenly the floor behind them gave way. Daniel felt his balance going before Teal'c grabbed his jacket and drew him back to the wall.

Daniel breathed in deeply and gave the Jaffa a quick smile. 'Thanks.'

Teal'c inclined his head.

Daniel hurriedly picked up his stuff as Teal'c reached for his staff weapon. Both Jack and Sam were still holding off the cats. 'Guys, we have the staircase open!'

'Go! We'll be right behind you.' Jack ordered. 'On my mark, Captain, three steps backwards. Mark!'

Sam took the three steps felt the reassuring bump of the colonel's back against hers. Both of them still faced the doorways, still shot at the ground, hoping to keep the cats from coming after them.

'Slowly does it, Captain. Turn on my mark. We're going to retreat slowly backwards to the left side of the altar.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam said.

'Mark.' They turned and stepped back in unison. Two steps. A cat peeked in from the left side. Jack fired a shot and it pulled back. Three steps. Another approached from the right. Sam followed the Colonel's example. They took another step. They were parallel with the altar. Another shot, another step.

Jack glanced back briefly, gauged the distance to the steps. 'Carter, go!'

'Sir.' Sam left his side and disappeared down the stairs.

Jack fired a barrage at the doorway and threw himself down after her.

'Now, Doctor Jackson.' Teal'c said in the darkness below and there was a sound of rumbling as the mechanism slid shut above Jack's head.

Jack switched the light on his gun and peered down the narrow stairs at his dusty and dirty looking team who looked back up at him. He figured he didn't look much better. Sam had switched her light on, Daniel had a flashlight. With his own light, they had enough to navigate their way without falling. Jack pointed at the closed hole above him and looked at the archaeologist questioningly.

'Oh, I found the release mechanism from this side.' Daniel explained. 'I didn't think we'd want the cats following us down here.'

'Good thinking.' Jack said. He nodded at the younger man. 'Lead the way.'

They headed down the stairs. It ended at a narrow closed doorway.

Daniel peered at it and frowned at a panel on the wall. 'I think it's another sentence that's been mixed up.'

'Can you open it?' Jack asked taking his cap off to wipe his brow.

'I think so.' Daniel pressed one square then another. The door slid open and stopped half-way. Teal'c pushed it the rest of the distance.

Jack reached over Sam and pulled Daniel back. 'Wait until we've done a sweep of the room.' He said and nodded at Teal'c and Sam to proceed as he made his own way down.

Sam entered the room, gun held in position and the light sweeping from corner to corner as she had been trained.

'This room is empty.' Teal'c determined.

'It's clear, sir.' Sam said calmly taking in the cobwebs and dust. Her heart sank. There was no sign of another doorway.

Daniel began to make a detailed search of the walls as the others gathered in the centre.

'Daniel?' Jack inquired.

'There's another panel over here.' Daniel said. He depressed the symbols in the correct order. A section of the wall slid back to reveal an empty niche.

'This is no doubt where the object of great power was kept.' Teal'c said.

Daniel rubbed his forehead in frustration. 'It's not here.'

'I think we all see that, Daniel.' Jack said dryly.

Daniel suddenly seemed to realise the lack of a second doorway. 'We're trapped, aren't we?'

'Looks that way.' Jack agreed. He caught Sam and Daniel's tired and frustrated expressions; Teal'c's face was devoid of expression but Jack figured the Jaffa had to be feeling as frustrated as they were. He checked his watch. 'OK. Let's regroup and try to figure a way out of this.'

They sat in an odd circle in the centre of the room and all sipped some water. They sipped sparingly knowing that they might have to make it last a while.

'It had to be cats,' muttered Jack as he screwed the cap on his bottle.

'Sir?' Sam's curious blue eyes met his. 'You don't like cats?'

'I'm more of a dog person, Carter.' Jack admitted. He caught the look on her face before she lowered her eyes to the floor. 'Don't tell me, you have a cat.'

Sam nodded. 'He's called Schrödinger, sir.'

'Clever.' Daniel remarked.

'Why is the name of the cat clever?' Teal'c asked.

'On Earth, part of our quantum theory is based on the work of a man called Schrödinger.' Sam explained. 'He theorised that if you placed a cat in a box with a decaying radioactive material that could trigger a canister of poison gas at any time then the cat was always both alive and dead.'

'What was the purpose of such an experiment?' Teal'c asked bemused.

'Oh he didn't actually do it.' Sam hastened to correct the impression she had given. 'It was just a hypothetical example of how multiple realities might exist. Until someone opened the box and determined whether the cat was alive or dead then both realities were possible.' She warmed to her subject. 'Of course, the whole concept of alternate realities is still very much theoretical…'

'Captain.' Jack felt compelled to interrupt her before they entered a long and detailed discussion on quantum physics. 'Teal'c, the cat in the box is known as Schrödinger's cat.'

'I see.' Teal'c murmured politely.

Sam looked away from Teal'c, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. He obviously didn't see at all. Her eyes skidded straight into Jack's which were filled with the same amusement as hers. There was a shared moment of enjoyment before they both looked away in confusion.

'Well, we're kind of the cats in the box now, aren't we?' Daniel pointed out looking up suddenly from examining his boot laces.

'In fact, Doctor Jackson, the cats are outside,' Teal'c said, 'and we are inside.'

Jack's eyes were dancing with merriment as they snapped to Sam's again and neither of them could prevent themselves from smiling before they quickly looked away for the second time.

Daniel caught the byplay between the two military officers and glanced at Teal'c to see whether he had noticed too. The Jaffa looked at him questioningly and Daniel shrugged. 'I was speaking figuratively, Teal'c.' He explained referring to his statement rather than the behaviour of their two team-mates. He sighed. 'This is all my fault.'

'How'd you figure that?' Jack asked surprised.

'I insisted we see the pyramid.' Daniel said miserably. 'If I hadn't we wouldn't be trapped here.'

'I was the one who should have worked out it was going to get dark before it did.' Sam argued. 'It's my fault.'

'There's no way you could have known.' Daniel said.

'Kids, I was the one who ordered us down the damn steps and trapped us in here. It's my fault.' Jack said.

All three humans looked over at the Jaffa expectantly.

Teal'c shifted under the weight of their combined regard. 'I agree with Doctor Jackson. It is his fault.'

Daniel blinked. Jack refused to glance at the Captain for fear the look on her face would set him off laughing, something he didn't think either of the other two men would appreciate.

'Teal'c,' Jack explained, 'we were sympathising with Daniel not really assigning blame.'

'I see.' Teal'c murmured again.

Daniel took pity on him. 'It's a human thing, Teal'c, to make me feel better about our situation despite it being my fault.'

'And it's not your fault so stop beating yourself up about it.' Jack said firmly. 'I agreed with your assessment that it was worth taking a look.'

'Yeah, about that assessment, Jack.' Daniel said apologetically. 'I knew back at the gate it was unlikely that we'd find anything here.'

Jack stared at him. 'I distinctly remember you saying maybe and something about needing to check out the purpose of these things here.'

'Because I knew it was the only way you'd agree to let me take a look at the pyramid.' Daniel said.

Jack groaned. 'Daniel.' His voice whipped across the room in an angry snarl as his brown eyes locked on the younger man's contrite blue gaze. 'Everybody look away now while I beat the crap out of him.'

'Sir,' Sam intervened, 'he was right in the argument he gave back at the gate.'

'I was?'

'He was?'

They spoke at the same time and Jack took a moment to glare at Daniel again before he turned the force of his displeasure onto his fellow Air Force officer.

'Sir, we have no way of knowing if current academic theory back on Earth relates in any way to the actual purpose of these temples and pyramids.' Sam continued determinedly. 'Even now, Daniel's own theory that the pyramids in Egypt acted as landing pads for alien ships is not given any credit and yet you found it to be true on Abydos. It's unlikely that we've even begun to uncover the true purpose of these buildings.' She gestured at the empty panel. 'And as it turns out this was the place where something of value was kept.'

'Not anymore.' Jack pointed out.

'But we had no way of knowing that until we got here, sir.' Sam insisted. 'Doctor Jackson's motives in giving the argument he did might not have been valid but his argument was.'

Jack stared at her resolute face.

'I agree with Doctor Carter.' Teal'c said firmly.

'You do?' Jack said surprised.

'I do.' Teal'c repeated.

Jack took a deep breath and returned his gaze to Daniel. 'Don't ever pull that crap on me again.'

'I won't.' Daniel promised.

'You'd better not.' Jack muttered.

'Sir,' Sam said softly, 'I've been thinking…'

'I'm shocked, Carter.' Jack said dryly. 'What now?'

'Sir, I've been recalculating the rotation of the planet. If I'm right, the sun will be up in another two hours.' Sam said hurriedly. 'The cats are obviously nocturnal so…'

'So we should be able to open the hatch at the top of the steps and leave here in a couple of hours.' Daniel concluded.

Sam nodded. 'Yes. There seems to be some kind of ventilation in the room so we should be fine until then.'

'And if you're wrong about the cats being nocturnal, Captain?' Jack asked.

'I think she's right, Jack.' Daniel said. 'We didn't see the cats until after it was completely dark.'

'I'm not sure you should get to have an opinion.' Jack shot back. He could see the flush on the other man's cheeks even in the semi-dark.

'I also agree with Doctor Carter.' Teal'c asserted. He was beginning to understand why she was part of the team.

Jack took his cap off and rubbed his hand furiously through his hair. He slapped it back on and looked at Daniel. 'Can you reopen the hatch from this side?'

'Yes.' Daniel said.

'OK, two hours.' Jack set an alarm on his watch and waved at the floor. 'Let's get comfortable.'

o-O-o

They had been lying in the dark for a long while when Jack heard Daniel sneeze. 'You OK?'

'I just need a tissue.'

Jack reached into a vest pocket and pulled out a travel pack. He would never admit that he'd packed them just for Daniel. He threw them across the floor in the direction of Daniel's voice.

'Thanks.'

'You're welcome.' Jack said.

Daniel blew his nose. His conscience stirred again. Jack had been unbelievably good to him since he'd gotten back from Abydos and he hated to think that he might have ruined the friendship they were groping towards with his earlier behaviour. 'I really am sorry, Jack.'

'Yeah. I know.' Jack sighed. 'But I need to trust that when you tell me something's worth looking at that you're not sending us on a wild goose chase that might get us all killed.'

'But just because something might not have military value doesn't mean it's not worth looking at, Jack.' Daniel shifted restlessly.

'We're here to find technology to help us with the Goa'uld, that's it.' Jack replied simply. 'And maybe we'll get lucky and find Sha're and Skaara somewhere along the way.'

'There's so much we could learn from other cultures about ourselves, our place in the universe. Meaning of life stuff.' Daniel said passionately.

'That meaning of life stuff isn't going to help us when we need to defend the planet from the Goa'uld, Daniel. A big, honking space gun, on the other hand.' Jack murmured.

'You don't know that and none of the technology we find is going to mean a thing if you don't put into context.' Daniel argued. 'There could be a deeper cultural significance that we overlook completely.'

'I agree with Daniel.' Sam piped up unable to stay quiet any longer.

Jack sighed audibly. 'Scientists.' He muttered under his breath.

'I just think if we find something that it'll be a whole lot easier getting it to work if we understand what it's supposed to be used for.' Sam said with impeccable logic. 'Look how long it took us to get the Stargate working.'

'Thank you.' Daniel said grateful for her support.

'OK,' Jack conceded, 'I take your point and if there is a reason to stay and examine the culture then we'll stay but you kids are going to have to accept that we have a mission.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam said her disappointment evident.

'Daniel?' Jack checked.

'I get the message, Jack.' Daniel said sharply.

Jack sighed. 'We're a team, Daniel. We need to be honest with each other or this isn't going to work.'

'I know.' Daniel blew his nose again.

Teal'c considered O'Neill's words carefully. Honesty. His honour stirred again. O'Neill was right. If the team wasn't honest with each other, they would fail. Teal'c couldn't contemplate that. He had abandoned his life on the slim hope that these humans were the best chance of freeing his people, of creating a world where his son would not die on the whim of a False God. He came to his decision. 'Doctor Jackson, I was directly responsible for your wife becoming a Goa'uld.'

In the dark, Jack clapped a hand over his face. Sam held her breath waiting.

'What do you mean?' Daniel asked carefully holding himself very still in the tense darkness.

'It was I who selected your wife at random from the harem and took her for presentation to Ammonet.' Teal'c explained.

'You selected her.' Daniel repeated carefully. 'And you're telling me this because…what? You want my forgiveness? Is that it?' His voice rose angrily with each word.

'Daniel…' Jack tried to interrupt.

'I do not expect your forgiveness, Doctor Jackson.' Teal'c said. 'But I believe O'Neill is right if we are to fight the Goa'uld together, we must have honesty between us.'

Jack winced.

'Well, that's just great. I mean, it's not bad enough that you helped Apophis steal my wife from Abydos but you actually helped to make her one of those…those…' Daniel stuttered.

'Daniel.' Jack said sharply. 'This isn't the right time…'

'And when will be the right time, Jack?' A thought occurred to Daniel and he stared into the darkness in Jack's direction in horror. 'Did you know?'

'No!' The denial was swift and heartfelt. 'Of course I didn't know.'

'He did not.' Teal'c confirmed.

Daniel was quiet for a long moment, struggling to adjust to the new information, struggling to make sense of it. It really didn't make a difference, he realised. He had already blamed Teal'c for his role in what had happened to Sha're before the Jaffa's confession and either way it wasn't going to change things. 'Why her?' He asked despondently. 'Why Sha're?' He wasn't expecting the Jaffa to answer really and he was surprised when Teal'c spoke.

'I believed she would end the choosing.'

Daniel's brow creased in confusion. 'I don't understand.'

'Apophis had been searching for a host for his Queen for some time. Many women had been presented and been refused by Ammonet before Apophis decided to try Ra's territory believing Ra was dead.' Teal'c explained. 'Your wife had caught the attention of Apophis himself. I believed she would have the best chance of being accepted and the choosing would end.'

'Apophis only started looking in Ra's territory once he realised Ra was gone.' Daniel repeated. It was his fault then. If he had left the gate on Abydos buried after they had killed Ra, Apophis would not have gone to Abydos.

'What happened to the women who were refused?' Sam asked softly. She believed she knew the answer and the reason why Teal'c had wanted to select a candidate to end it.

'They were killed by Apophis.' Teal'c confirmed.

'So, you were hoping to stop Apophis killing any more women needlessly.' Sam continued gently.

'Indeed I was.' Teal'c said a little surprised she had worked out his strategy.

'Well I guess that makes it OK then.' Daniel said bitterly.

'Nothing makes it OK, Daniel.' Jack answered before Teal'c could reply. 'But what's done is done.'

'I swear to you, Doctor Jackson, that I will do everything in my power to return your wife to you.' Teal'c said.

'Teal'c…I can't…don't talk to me right now.' Daniel said his voice was choked with unshed tears.

There was another unnatural silence as they all assimilated the impact of Teal'c's confession. Jack's heart sank. He couldn't see how they moved past it as a team. Despite Daniel's earlier misstep, Jack believed the younger man deserved his place and despite Teal'c's confession he knew he was their best shot at finding Sha're and Skaara but given what had just happened he didn't know how he could expect the Jaffa and archaeologist to work together, if it was even fair to expect that. He frowned heavily. It was ironic that the only member of the team he hadn't chosen seemed to be causing him the least trouble. In fact, Carter was the reason they had a solution to get out of the pyramid and her shooting had saved his life up in the temple. He wondered briefly if he'd lost his leadership skills somewhere in the tedium of retirement.

Daniel sneezed violently breaking the quiet. A low hiss sounded in the darkness. The archaeologist froze automatically. Years of being trained to watch his step on remote digs brought instant recognition. There was a snake somewhere in the room with them. 'Did anyone else hear that?' He asked apprehensively.

'Yeah.' Jack moved cautiously and flipped the light switch on his gun, thankful he still had it lying across his chest.

Sam followed his example and Daniel quickly switched his own flashlight on. A sweep of their immediate area brought relief to their faces.

'I'm going to take a look around. Everyone else stay where you are.' Jack said rising to his feet.

'I guess it makes sense that there would be snakes down here.' Sam said nervously.

'Just because the Goa'uld assumed a serpent-like image as the God he was pretending to be doesn't mean that there would be snakes.' Daniel mused.

'No, I didn't mean that.' Sam contradicted him. 'I just meant because it was cool and dark. Natural snake territory.'

'Oh.' Daniel eyes followed Jack briefly.

'What's the matter, Carter?' Jack asked. 'You don't like snakes?'

'Neither does Indiana Jones, sir.' Sam pointed out.

Daniel glanced back at Teal'c who was silent and the hair stood up on his neck. There was a swaying shadow just behind the Jaffa. A serpentine hooded shadow of a cobra about to strike. 'Teal'c, don't move.' He said quickly.

Teal'c raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

'There is a snake just behind you about to strike.' Daniel explained as he inched forward.

'Daniel, what are you doing?' Sam asked as the archaeologist got closer and closer to the serpent. Teal'c was obscuring the Colonel's ability to shoot; Daniel was obscuring hers.

'Distracting the snake.' Daniel said.

'I do not believe that is wise.' Teal'c said carefully as he stayed motionless.

'Maybe not.' Daniel admitted.

'If you get out of the way I can shoot it.' Sam said.

'Daniel, do as she says.' Jack ordered.

'If she misses it'll enrage it and it'll bite Teal'c anyway.' Daniel replied using a patently false conversational, calm tone as he neared the snake.

'I'm a crack shot, Daniel. I won't miss.' Sam reassured him.

'Too late.' Daniel murmured seeing the cobra's head snap in his direction. He started to take a slow step back, felt his foot slipping and promptly fell on his ass.

The snake shot forward.

Teal'c reacted before Jack or Sam could aim their weapons; he launched himself forward and grabbed the snake before it could get to Daniel.

Daniel stared in astonishment; the snake's head was a mere inch from his leg and the only thing stopping it reaching its target was Teal'c's strong grip. He watched in stunned disbelief as Teal'c strangled the snake and threw its corpse in a far corner of the room. He took a shaky breath. 'Thank you.'

'It is I who should thank you.' Teal'c said inclining his head. He held out his hand and Daniel allowed the Jaffa to pull him back to his feet. He winced as he put weight on the foot that had slipped.

'Everybody OK?' Jack checked.

'Yes, sir.' Sam replied.

Daniel nodded. 'I think I twisted my ankle slightly but I'm OK.'

'As am I.' Teal'c said.

Jack looked at the rest of his team; at Sam's confident nod, at the way Daniel was leaning on Teal'c who was resolutely supporting the weight of the other man without complaint. They really were OK, he realised, and one day they were all going to be more than OK. 'Carter, as much as I love our current accommodation…'

'Another five minutes, sir.' Sam replied.

'OK. Everyone to the staircase. Let's get ready to move out.' Jack said.

Their exit was a flawlessly executed operation. The shaft of sunlight that appeared in the stairwell was a welcome relief but Jack approached the entrance cautiously, his weapon poised. The cats had disappeared including the dead one. All that remained of it was a dull stain on the temple floor. They didn't linger and headed back to the Stargate.

Jack and Sam took point as Teal'c continued to help Daniel who limped along painfully on his ankle without complaint despite the brisk pace. They didn't want to waste time. Sam was estimating the planet only had four hours of daylight and none of them were eager to get trapped out in the open with a pack of wild cats.

Jack ordered Daniel to rest and for Teal'c to watch him as Sam sorted out dialling the gate and sending the IDC as he provided his team with cover. He smiled in satisfaction at the blue puddle.

'OK, campers. Let's go.' Jack took a position at the top of the steps as Sam sent the MALP back before following herself.

Teal'c helped Daniel back to his feet from where he'd been resting on the ground.

'Teal'c…' Daniel began hesitantly.

'Yes, Doctor Jackson?'

'I can't forgive you for what you did to Sha're.' Daniel said his sober blue eyes meeting the Jaffa's.

Teal'c stiffened. 'I understand.'

'No, you don't.' Daniel said firmly. 'I can't forgive you today, right now, but…' he sighed, 'maybe one day…' Maybe when he forgave himself, he thought.

'Then I shall look forward to that day, Doctor Jackson.'

'Me too.' Daniel said as he limped up the final step and they entered the wormhole.

Jack smiled as he followed them. He positively bounced down the metal ramp of the SGC and ignored the sliding metal of the iris slamming shut behind him. His team waited for him at the bottom of the ramp as did the slightly portly figure of General Hammond.

'Colonel.' Hammond greeted him with a pleased nod, relieved to see the SG1 team back in one piece. 'Anything to report?'

'Nothing, sir other than some really ferocious wildlife.'

Hammond's eyebrows rose slightly. 'Sounds like it will be an interesting debriefing, Colonel.'

'Yes, sir.' Jack said grinning.

'Sirs, with your permission, I think we should get Daniel to the infirmary and get his ankle examined.' Sam said looking worriedly at the way Daniel was leaning on Teal'c.

'Permission granted, Captain.' Hammond said, his Texan accent rolling through the words. He briefly stopped the Colonel as he made to follow his team out of the gate room. 'So you found nothing of value on P3-575?'

'Oh, I wouldn't say that, sir.' Jack said as he glanced over at his departing team-mates. Teal'c was supporting Daniel on one side, Sam on the other; he could hear her fussing at the others as they disappeared into the corridor and smiled as she glanced back over her shoulder, searching for him. He nodded absently at the General and went to join his team. Finding the SG1 team spirit definitely counted as something of value in his book.


	3. Mistakes

**Author's Note: **Team friendship.

**Emancipation Recap:**_ SG1 saves the life of a native called Abu on arrival at a new planet. When he is joined by his tribe, it is only the fact that Sam has saved Abu's life that prevents her own death as there are strict laws governing the behaviour of women. Although Sam suggests heading home, Daniel encourages Jack to accept the invitation of the Mongol tribe to visit with them. Sam is segregated and dressed according to Mongol tradition and, during the night, she is abducted by Abu. He hopes to trade her for Nya, the daughter of the warlord, Turghan. However, Turghan offers gold, claiming Nya is already promised to another man. Sam tries to escape from Turghan and although recaptured and beaten, still encourages Nya to make her own bid for freedom to be with Abu. Sam is rescued by the others but when they learn Nya is to be killed for her rebellion, the team return with Abu and his father to Turghan's camp where Sam accepts a challenge to fight the warlord to free Nya. Sam is victorious and Abu's tribe lessens the restrictions on their women in her honour. _

**Mistakes**

Colonel Jack O'Neill took his green cap off as he walked down the Stargate ramp to greet his commanding officer. He registered the faint sounds of the wormhole disengaging, the metal iris sliding shut and the rest of his team following him almost absently.

'Colonel.' General Hammond's blue eyes smiled back at the other man. 'How did the mission go?'

'We found a new type of anaesthetic that may have potential, sir.' Jack reported crisply. 'We brought back a sample for analysis.'

'Good. Debriefing will be at oh-eight-hundred tomorrow.' Hammond nodded at the SG1 team and departed the gate room. He liked being there to greet the teams but his workload seemed to be increasing on a daily basis now the Stargate programme was almost up and running fully.

Jack glanced back at his team. His brown eyes drifted over the Jaffa, Teal'c, past Daniel Jackson who was blowing his nose and landed on Captain Samantha Carter. It had been a tough mission for her; a culture that had subjugated women, the whole kidnapped and being traded thing, not to mention the fight to the death. 'Why don't you hit the locker room first, Captain?'

Sam glanced over at the Colonel and wondered which excuse he would use this time. He always produced a reason why she should go first in the shared locker room and had ever since the first SG1 mission to P3-575. On that occasion it had been because she'd saved his life; P3X595 had been because of the incident she preferred to forget; P3A577 had been because she'd managed to fix the local shield technology in the city which had led to their first successful agreement with another world to share the technology in question. Unfortunately, her analysis suggested that it required a certain element in the atmosphere that Earth didn't have but still…

'Carter?' Jack waved his hand in front of her face.

'Yes, sir.' Sam replied briskly.

'I said as you were the one honoured by the Shavadai, you should go first.' Jack said casually.

Sam hid a smile. 'Thank you, sir.' She knew it was the Colonel's way of providing her with some protection from 'accidentally' getting disturbed while she was in the locker room; nobody was likely to barge in on her while the rest of SG1 waited in the corridor outside for her to finish. While one side of her protested at the very idea that he would assume she needed the protection, Sam couldn't pretend she didn't appreciate being able to shower in relative privacy, which was why she simply took a step in the direction of the gate room door intending to head to the locker room. Her back protested sharply and she winced. She reluctantly turned back to the Colonel even as she handed her weapons to the waiting Sergeant.

'Sir.'

'Yes, Captain.' Jack responded to her absently as he handed over his own weapons.

'I…er…I think I should report to the infirmary, sir.' Sam said. 'I may have bruised my back.'

Jack's eyes snapped to her. He frowned. Now that she mentioned it, she was moving a little stiffly. She had avoided most of the blows during the fight with the Mongol warlord Turghan but she had hit the ground hard one time. 'Get it checked out, Captain.' He agreed. 'Actually, you can take the sample of anaesthetic with you. Save Daniel a trip.'

Daniel burrowed into his pack for the sample and handed it to her with a sympathetic smile. 'You want some company?'

'No, I'll be fine.' Sam said quickly and left before any of them could make another comment. She figured her back was more to do with the beating she had endured by Turghan before the others had been able to rescue her than the fight with him to free the young girl she had befriended. She knew she was going to have to report it but it seemed less humiliating if she pretended for a while longer it hadn't happened.

She entered the infirmary and a nurse showed her to an examination room where she waited for the doctor on duty impatiently.

'Captain Carter.' Doctor Warner entered, a cheery smile lighting his round face. 'What brings you down here today?'

Sam returned the smile. Warner was a good surgeon; a little more focused on facts and symptoms than the actual patient but she was pleased it was someone she knew. The base was filling with new personnel every day.

'I sustained an injury to my back on our last mission.' Sam said without preamble.

'Let's take a look then, shall we?' He called a female nurse in and Sam found she appreciated the help as she undressed – she was stiffening up fast. She held a blanket against her front to protect her modesty while Warner examined her back.

'How did you say you sustained the injury, Captain?' Warner asked viewing the reddened welts across the creamy skin with an experienced eye. He'd seen similar injuries before; they were usually sustained during torture.

'I was captured during the mission and received a beating for attempting to escape.' Sam said matter-of-factly.

'Was there an instrument used for the beating?'

'It was a small hand device with several leather straps.' Sam admitted quietly grateful for the clinical tone the doctor was using. If he appeared in anyway sympathetic she had a horrible feeling she'd start bawling her eyes out.

That explained the interweaving of the welts, Warner mused. 'And how often were you hit by it?'

'Five times.' Until she had cried out. She swallowed hard against the memory but was unable to prevent the flush of shame that reddened her cheeks.

'Let me know where it hurts.' Warner said as he began pressing at various points on her back.

Sam was almost in tears by the time he'd finished the examination. Her back was in a lot of pain from the prodding and poking.

'Nurse Brannigan, can you get the Captain a hospital gown, please.'

'Yes, sir. You might want to take a look at the Captain's wrists, sir.'

Sam shot the nurse a panicked look but the older woman ignored her. Warner waited until the young officer was sufficiently covered and sat on the bed facing him before he turned back to her and followed the nurse's suggestion. 'Rope chaffing.' He diagnosed. 'Are there any other injuries?' He paused delicately and pinned her with a sympathetic but relentless stare.

'Sir?' Sam asked blankly.

'Captain, it's usually been my experience that a female when held in captivity and tortured may be subjected to…'

'No. God, no.' Sam denied quickly realising he was referring to rape.

He seemed to scrutinise her carefully.

'I'm not denying rape was threatened but I was rescued before it could happen, sir.' Sam said more calmly.

Warner picked up the medical chart and began scribbling. 'I'm going to admit you to the infirmary overnight for observation, Captain.'

Sam's eyes widened. 'Is that really necessary, sir?'

'You have severe bruising along your lower spine and there is potential for the spinal cord itself to become inflamed.' Warner said without looking at her and continuing to scribble. 'That means bed rest. I'm also going to have a combination anti-inflammatory and anaesthetic cream prepared that should reduce the inflammation and dull the pain. Your wrists should be fine once we've administered a normal anti-bacterial cream and a light dressing.' He stopped writing and peered at her. 'I suggest you shower here in the infirmary. The warm water will ease your muscles. Nurse Brannigan will administer the treatment when you're finished.'

'Sir…'

'It's an order.' Warner said firmly. He gazed at her a little more sympathetically. 'I'm afraid I will need to report this, Captain.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam sighed. 'Would it be possible for me to speak with my CO before you do?'

'I take it he is unaware of the injury?' Warner asked delicately.

Sam nodded unhappily.

Warner sighed. Young, eager junior officers; they were all the same; trying to prove they were fine even if they were death warmed up just to impress a superior. 'Well, once you've been treated the nurse can page him. I won't be submitting my report to General Hammond until the morning.'

'Thank you, sir.' Sam said. 'Oh.' She reached into her things and took out the anaesthetic. 'We found this on the planet. We think it could be a new type of anaesthetic.'

'I'll have it analysed.' Warner said.

Sam watched him leave and followed the nurse to the shower cubicle.

o-O-o

Daniel reached into his locker for his glasses and slipped them on. He blinked and the world came into focus. Teal'c was reapplying his make-up on one side of the locker room. On the other, Jack was almost finished dressing in a clean uniform which hinted at his intent to stay on base. Daniel looked down at his own blue canvas trousers, black undershirt and blue jacket. He didn't really have a choice in his clothing. He'd been back on Earth almost a month and he still hadn't found somewhere to live or to replenish his wardrobe fully. His meagre collection of a jacket, pair of chinos, a shirt, and underwear came from an embarrassing trip with Jack to the nearest discount store the day after they arrived back from Abydos when the other man had paid for the items as Daniel hadn't any money. He still didn't. The Air Force had promised him that they would pay him within the next week but he still had his doubts.

He understood his official status while he'd been on Abydos had been 'missing'. His assets, bank accounts and holdings had been frozen. The Air Force legal office was apparently sorting that out. Not that he had a lot in his bank account. Catherine Langford hadn't been too far wrong when she had noted that he didn't have a lot to leave behind during her offer of a job on the Stargate programme. She hadn't been completely correct though, Daniel thought. A lot of his personal artefact collection, journals, and reference books had been stored at his foster parents. He could arrange for it all to be sent as soon as he had an apartment. There was a reference book on Mongolian culture he wanted to review after their experience with the Shavadai.

He shivered a little as he pushed a comb through his wet hair. The mission had been a close call, he mused, everything from their first interaction with the Shavadai to Sam fighting a Mongolian warlord. All in all they probably should have followed Sam's suggestion that they leave after their first fraught meeting with the tribesmen. Daniel felt a wash of guilt. With the last few missions, Jack had softened from his hard line position of leaving if there was no immediate military value in staying on a planet. He had seemed to come around to the idea that they might discover something by staying and talking with the local population. Daniel had been the one to recommend to Jack that he ignore Sam and that they should visit with the Mongol tribe. Speaking of Sam, he thought, where was she? He glanced at his watch and frowned.

'What's the matter?' Jack said pulling on a black t-shirt over his blue trousers.

'Sam's taking a long time in the infirmary.' Daniel noted.

Jack reached for his own watch and grimaced. They'd been in the locker room thirty minutes. The Captain should have been hammering on the door for them to move their asses.

'Perhaps Doctor Carter has become engaged in a discussion with the doctors concerning the new drug.' Teal'c suggested as he placed his belongings back into the metal locker and shut the door.

'There.' Jack pointed at Teal'c. 'I bet that's what's happened. She'll have gotten talking and forgotten the time.'

Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose but couldn't argue with the logic. They had all learned how Sam was when she got occupied by something; food, rest, awareness of the rest of the world – it all bypassed her completely. A bit like himself, Daniel admitted with more than a little chagrin.

'Are we to undergo our usual duty outside the locker room while Doctor Carter showers, O'Neill?' Teal'c asked sitting down on the bench and waiting patiently for an answer.

'Yeah.' Jack figured she had worked out why he usually found a reason for her to use the locker room first. She hadn't objected yet which indicated to him that for all her grandstanding on being able to take of herself that she appreciated the gesture. For some inexplicable reason it made him like her more.

'I don't think she'll want us to,' Daniel said, 'especially as there's no real reason for us to be hanging around outside.'

'We have Marines on base now, Daniel.' Jack noted pulling on his boots. 'I don't trust them and if I want to hang around outside the locker room waiting for a member of my team, I will.'

'Well, if the Marines tried to take her on, my money would be on Sam.' Daniel murmured. 'Look how she took down Turghan.'

'Doctor Carter is a skilled warrior.' Teal'c commented.

There was a timid knock on the locker room door.

All three men looked at each other amused.

'Go let her in, Daniel.' Jack said jerking his head at the door whilst he concentrated on tying up his laces. 'We're all decent.'

Daniel padded over in his stockinged feet to the door and opened it. He blinked in surprise at the nurse standing on the other side. 'Oh. Hello.' He smiled shyly. 'You weren't who we were expecting.'

Nurse Brannigan smiled. 'I just need to collect a few items from Captain Carter's locker.'

'Oh. Sure. Come in.' Daniel opened the door wider and she entered moving swiftly to the Captain's locker.

Jack stared at the woman helping herself to Carter's things and back at Daniel questioningly. Daniel opened his mouth to reply and his brain registered what the nurse had said. He turned back to her confused. 'I'm sorry why did you just say you were collecting stuff for Doctor Carter?'

Brannigan halted with her hand still in the locker. 'She's been admitted to the infirmary for the night. She requested a few of her personal items.'

'Why has she been admitted?' Jack demanded immediately, straightening to his full height even as Teal'c rose off the bench and Daniel came to stand in between them.

The nurse swallowed hard at the intimidating sight of the three men but turned back to her task. 'I'm afraid I can't say, sir.' In her book, patients were entitled to confidentiality even in the military.

Jack and Daniel exchanged an anxious look.

'I'm her CO.' Jack insisted.

The nurse closed the locker and started out of the room. 'I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not authorised to tell anybody that information even you. If you'll excuse me I have to get back to the infirmary.' She escaped out of the door.

'For crying out loud.' Jack slammed the door shut on his own locker and followed her.

'Jack…' Daniel headed out of the locker room after him barely aware of Teal'c following him having shut the archaeologist's locker.

Jack stormed into the infirmary after the nurse. She turned and looked at him exasperated. He folded his arms and gave her his best intimidation stare. 'Where is she?'

'Jack…' Daniel tried to calm him down.

'Sir, this is the treatment room. You can't be in here.' She sighed. 'Follow me.'

The men of SG1 trouped into an empty examination room.

'If you'll wait here, I'll get Doctor Warner to come and speak to you.' The nurse promised. 'I'm sure once Captain Carter has finished showering and received her treatment, you'll be able to see her.' She left closing the door firmly behind her.

Jack whirled angrily in the small space; Daniel got the distinct impression he was looking for something to punch. Teal'c stood silently by the door, his hands clasped behind his back and his face expressionless except for the worry that lurked in the dark depths of his eyes.

'Jack, we're all worried about her but you have to calm down.' Daniel said quietly.

Jack glared at him but came to a stop and leaned against the side of the bed. Daniel joined him.

'I should never have agreed to let her fight.' Jack muttered rubbing a hand through his short crop of hair with its mix of brown and silver strands.

'I don't think you had a choice.' Daniel said.

'Indeed.' Teal'c said. 'Doctor Carter was determined to save the life of the child Nya.'

'I'm her CO. I could have ordered her to stand down.' Jack insisted.

'Why didn't you?' The question was out of Daniel's mouth before his brain engaged. He was surprised when Jack answered.

'Because I figured she could take him.' Jack said.

Daniel stared at the other man trying to make sense of his thought processes. 'And that was important because…why?'

'Stop trying to make more out of it than it was, Daniel.' Jack said uncomfortably.

Daniel's head tilted and his blue eyes scanned Jack as though examining a more interesting specimen in a lab experiment. 'You thought a win against Turghan would give Sam confidence.' The archaeologist saw the muscle tense along Jack's jaw and knew he was right. 'You thought she needed to regain some after she'd been kidnapped by Abu.'

'It doesn't matter.' Jack said. 'I should never have allowed her to fight.'

'We don't actually know what's wrong with her yet, Jack. It could just be a sprained back or a…' Daniel's voice trailed away at a sudden thought and he blanched.

'What?' Jack demanded.

'Nothing.' Daniel mumbled folding his arms defensively.

Jack raised a warning finger, his brown eyes glittering dangerously. 'Daniel, so help me if you…'

'What if Turghan didn't wait to partake of his purchase?' Daniel rushed out.

Jack paled visibly and Teal'c's expression tightened.

'I mean the nurse said she was showering and…' Daniel swallowed hard.

'No.' Jack shook his head in denial. 'She would have been too traumatised to hide something like that.'

'Even if she was determined to prove to you that she could handle anything?' Daniel shot back angrily.

Jack flinched. He was aware that the young Captain felt she had to prove herself to him and truth be told he hadn't done anything to alter her perception even though she'd already done more than enough on their first few missions to justify her place on SG1. A rush of guilt brought a bitter taste to his mouth.

'Sorry, Jack.' Daniel murmured seeing the other man's expression close up. 'It's just…I kinda feel responsible.'

Jack glanced over at the archaeologist who was staring at his feet shamefacedly. He sighed. 'I lead the team, Daniel. Ultimately, I'm responsible for what happens.'

'I was the one who encouraged Sam to take on their dress and customs.' Daniel said. 'If she'd been in her usual clothes she probably would have been able to defend herself. She might not have been kidnapped even.' His stomach turned as he remembered how they'd teased her about the blue dress.

'And I'm the one who agreed to it, not to mention us going off to the party and leaving her alone.' Jack returned.

'Well, I was the one who suggested we go with the Shavadai so we could learn more about the Mongolian culture.' Daniel pointed out miserably.

'And I'm the one who said OK.' Jack snapped. 'You know I knew this whole learning about other cultures stuff was a bad idea.' He gestured angrily.

'Jack, just because we had a bad experience this time doesn't make the whole thing wrong!' Daniel protested.

'You're the one who just admitted staying was the wrong thing to do.' Jack pointed out stabbing a finger at him.

'Only this time.' Daniel shouted in frustration. 'When we realised the strict rules of how women were expected to behave, we should have left and returned with an all-male team. Even with what happened we still discovered the anaesthetic…'

'The world can survive without another anaesthetic, Daniel. I'm not sure it can survive without Car…' Jack broke off abruptly as he suddenly realised what he was unwittingly saying.

Daniel looked at Jack in shock, more than a little taken aback by the other man's words. He'd had no idea Jack held his fellow Air Force officer in such high regard. Jack's innate protectiveness about his team aside, generally he seemed to treat Sam with a polite professionalism except for the occasional moments when he teased her about something.

Jack cast around for a diversion. 'Teal'c, why don't you jump in here?' He said a little desperately. 'Tell us what you think.'

'I think this discussion will not assist Doctor Carter.' Teal'c said. 'We cannot change our mistakes; we can only learn from them.'

Jack and Daniel both stared at the Jaffa.

'When did you make a mistake?' Daniel asked curiously.

'When I failed to support Doctor Carter's suggestion of leaving after our initial encounter with the Shavadai.' Teal'c said regretfully. 'When I failed to prevent Doctor Carter from being abducted. When I…'

'OK, Teal'c.' Jack said cutting in. 'Like you said, we all made mistakes.' He shook his head.

The door opened and they all tensed as Doctor Warner entered.

'Nurse Brannigan informed me you were here.' He said.

'I'd like some answers, Doctor.' Jack said. 'Why wasn't I informed immediately that one of my officers was being admitted to the infirmary? And what the hell is wrong with Captain Carter that she needs to be admitted to the infirmary?'

Warner sighed at the militant look in the Colonel's eyes. 'Captain Carter requested permission to inform you herself and I agreed on the proviso that she received her treatment first. You would have been paged then.'

'How is she?' Daniel asked.

'She's suffering from severe bruising to her back and minor rope burns on her wrists.' Warner said. 'She's in some pain and discomfort. I've ordered bed rest for tonight to alleviate the swelling on her back. She should be fit for duty tomorrow.'

Jack didn't relax. 'Is that it?'

Warner looked at him steadily. He knew the Colonel was a seasoned soldier and he figured that the other man had jumped to a few conclusions at the news his female officer had been admitted to the infirmary after being subjected to a period of captivity on the mission. 'That's it, Colonel. I assure you.'

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Not rape. Thank God, not rape.

Warner gestured at the door. 'She's settled into one of the recovery rooms now if you'd like to see her.'

Jack nodded sharply. 'Thanks, Doc.'

They all trouped out after the doctor to the recovery room where Sam was lying in bed looking distinctly miserable and staring at the ceiling. Her eyes shot to them at the sound of their footsteps and she sat up a little awkwardly.

Jack was barely aware of Warner leaving them as his brown eyes scoured over her. Her slightly grumpy expression reassured him more than anything else. 'Captain, we thought we'd stop by, see how you were doing.'

Daniel approached the bed. 'How are you feeling?'

'Fine, really.' Sam tried a smile. 'I don't know what all the fuss is about.' Her blue eyes fell to his feet and the bright blue socks he was wearing. 'Daniel, where are your shoes?'

'Shoes?' Daniel looked down at his feet. 'Ah…' He realised he must have forgotten them in his rush to follow Jack to the infirmary.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow before clearing his throat. 'I am pleased to see you well, Doctor Carter.'

'Thank you, Teal'c.' She gave him a genuine smile of pleasure.

'Do you need anything?' Jack asked.

'My laptop would be good, sir.' Sam said automatically.

Jack's eyebrows rose slightly. 'I'm fairly certain working doesn't fall under the strict definition of bed rest, Captain.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam said abashed.

'Well, we'll leave you to it.' Jack said quickly.

'Actually, Colonel, could you stay for a minute?' Sam asked.

Jack stopped mid-step. He was surprised by the request but he was happy to acquiesce. 'Sure.' He gestured at their other team-mates. 'Why don't you guys head back and get Daniel some shoes? I'll meet you in the mess for some dinner.'

Daniel frowned worriedly but Teal'c clapped a hand on the younger man's shoulder and he had no option but to accompany the Jaffa out of the recovery room.

'So.' Jack said pulling up a stool to her bedside and sitting down.

'Sir, did Doctor Warner inform you about my exact injuries?' Sam asked.

Jack felt his gut twist; that didn't sound good. He didn't believe Warner had lied to him though. 'He told me you had severe bruising on your back and minor rope burns.' He gestured at the bandages on her wrists.

'Did he inform you how I received the back injury, sir?' Sam inquired nervously.

Jack's brown eyes settled on hers and he sighed deeply. 'Why do I get the feeling it wasn't from the fall you took during the fight with Turghan?'

'Before you arrived at Turghan's camp, sir, I made my own attempt to escape.' Sam confessed.

He absorbed the information calmly. 'It didn't go well, I take it? Since you were still there when we arrived.'

'No, sir. I was hampered by the whole dress thing and…anyway, I didn't get very far before I got recaptured.' Sam admitted.

'And you sustained your back injury during your escape attempt?' Jack surmised.

'Not exactly, sir.' She plucked anxiously at the bed sheets. 'When I was returned to the camp, I was punished for the escape attempt.'

'Punished?' Jack's face settled into grave lines. 'Punished as in…'

'I was whipped, sir.' Despite her best efforts her voice was barely above a whisper and she couldn't hold his gaze.

Jack felt his whole body fill with a quiet fury and for a brief moment he wished he could dial the gate and charge back to the camp to challenge Turghan himself. Somehow though his brain was absorbing Sam's evident tension, the lurking humiliation under what remained of her bravado and he reined in his anger. She needed more than a knee-jerk reaction by him.

'So let me get this straight;' Jack said conversationally, 'you beat the guy on his home turf, in front of all his men, with a much smaller knife than he had and an injured back.'

Her blue eyes shot to his startled. 'Sir?'

'I take it you were planning to tell me before the debriefing tomorrow?' Jack inquired smoothly.

She nodded automatically. 'Yes, sir. I wanted to tell you alone. I just didn't want everybody knowing that I…' she flushed hotly in shame and dropped her gaze again.

Jack sighed. 'Samantha…'

The unusual use of her first name snapped her eyes back to his. She was surprised at the warm understanding gazing back at her.

'You have nothing to feel ashamed about here.' Jack said. 'You did great.'

'I couldn't fight him.' Sam admitted unevenly.

'Sometimes you can't.' Jack said simply. 'Sometimes you just have to take the beating and wait for a better opportunity.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam said softly.

'Anything else, Captain?' Jack asked suddenly a little uncomfortable at how comfortable he felt sat talking with her, at how easy it would be to confide in her about some of his own experiences.

'Uh, no, sir.' Sam said. 'Well, I…'

Jack raised an inquisitive eyebrow and she vaguely considered whether he'd been practising with Teal'c.

'I wanted to apologise for the whole Nya thing.' She said hurriedly. 'I know I risked the whole team going back to Turghan's camp, sir, and then offering to take part in the fight…'

Jack shrugged. 'We all made mistakes this mission, Captain. You should hear Teal'c's list.'

'Teal'c, sir?'

Jack waved her question away. 'At the end of the day, we all came back alive so in the grand scheme of things maybe we should consider this a success.'

Sam nodded. 'Thank you, sir.'

Jack slipped off the stool. 'You sure I can't get you anything?'

'No, sir.' Sam said. 'I'm fine.'

Jack nodded and left the infirmary. Maybe he'd take her some dessert back after dinner, he thought absently. He sighed. It was going to be a hell of a debriefing in the morning.

o-O-o

General Hammond frowned at the subdued SG1 team sat in front of him and considered the past hour of their mission debrief with a sense of stunned disbelief. He couldn't decide which he was more amazed at; that they had gotten themselves into a whole heap of trouble in the first place or that they had yanked their own tails out of the fire and come back in one piece with the friendship of one of the native tribes and a potentially valuable medicine. He looked down the briefing table.

The Jaffa, Teal'c, sat stoically awaiting Hammond's judgement although from what Hammond could ascertain the Jaffa had very little to reproach himself for. Daniel Jackson sat next to him, his head down. The young man's report had seemed to take on the spirit of a confessional as he had taken full responsibility for recommending the team's visit with the Shavadai tribe even after their initial encounter where it had been clear that women were subjected to a number of oppressive laws.

Hammond's blue eyes drifted across the table to his two military officers. Captain Carter had been equally unforgiving about her own conduct, noting she had pressed the Colonel to return to Turghan's camp, had volunteered for the challenge without understanding it would be a fight to the death; all of which would have been unnecessary had she not encouraged Nya to rebel against her father's control. Hammond knew Sam's father and he decided quite fervently that he wasn't touching the can of worms that were her psychological motivations with a very _long_ barge pole.

His gaze finally settled on the SG1 commander. He liked Jack O'Neill. The Colonel was a good officer and a fine leader. While his report had lacked the confessional overtone of the younger members of his team, he had been equally quick to take full responsibility for the events of the mission and Hammond suspected he was equally waiting on Hammond to come to some kind of guilty verdict.

Hammond considered what he was going to say. He knew how easy it was after a mission to look back at what seemed like a reasonable decision at the time and judge that it had been a poor one because it led to a negative outcome. He cleared his throat. 'Well, it's certainly clear that we can learn a lot from this mission. I agree with the assessment you've all made that, in hindsight, Captain Carter's suggestion to return once the initial contact had revealed an unequal treatment of women within the native society was the more appropriate course of action. I also believe that having made the decision to go with the tribe that their initial hospitality led to a lowering of the guard for the whole team that contributed to the ease of the abduction.'

He paused and clasped his hands together in front of him. 'However, the tracking and recovery of Captain Carter was flawlessly executed with no casualties.' He caught the young woman's eyes. 'I also find your conduct while you were abducted to be more than acceptable, Captain. While your escape strategy was ultimately unsuccessful, the attempt is worthy of praise, particularly given the constraints you were operating under.'

He shifted in his seat and widened his gaze to encompass the whole table again. 'Which brings me onto the final episode and the rescue of the native girl, Nya.' He stared hard at them. 'You got lucky, people. I cannot deny that we will undoubtedly affect the societies and the individuals we interact with off-world and I can appreciate the sense of responsibility that such interaction elicits especially when the outcome is a negative one. The decision to go back and argue for the girl's release based on arcane law and for Captain Carter to fight this Turghan character was highly risky. Luckily it paid off. However, in a similar circumstance in future, my preference would be not to have members of this command engaging in fights to the death, is that clear?'

There was a chorus of 'yessirs'.

'Good.' Hammond nodded with satisfaction and noted the relieved looks around the table. 'I'd like you all to write-up recommendations for changes or additions to standard mission protocol in response to the situations you encountered in this mission. In fact,' he continued, 'I'd like you to add a list of recommendations to each mission report you submit from here on in.'

He saw the dismayed looks – some hidden better or more quickly than others around the SG1 team. 'You people are the pioneers for how we operate on these missions. We're all going to make mistakes, myself included; the important thing is we all learn from them. I'll expect your recommendations on my desk by sixteen hundred.' He gave the table a small thump with his fist and got to his feet.

'Oh, and SG1…'

'Sir?' Jack asked on behalf of his team who were all standing waiting for their dismissal from the debrief, himself included.

'You all made it back alive so it seems to me you did a great job.' Hammond said. There was a hint of a smile as he turned toward his office. 'Dismissed.'


	4. Fallout

**Author's Note: **Team friendship. Team/Janet friendship. Mild Sam/Jack.

**The Broca Divide Recap:** _After a mission to P3X797, SG1 and SG3 return with a highly contagious virus that reverts the infected to more primitive behaviour. When infected, Sam tries to seduce Jack, Jack beats up Daniel in a jealous rage, and Daniel is left on the planet when he and Teal'c go back for a blood sample from the natives. Luckily, the new CMO, Doctor Janet Fraiser comes up with a cure and SG1 return to the planet to recover Daniel successfully. _

**Fallout**

Doctor Janet Fraiser hovered in the briefing room and waited for the summons to enter General Hammond's office to give her report as ordered. She could see through the inner window that he was on the red phone and waited patiently outside. She didn't envy him the responsibility of having to discuss the events of the past few days with the President; a highly contagious alien parasitic virus on the rampage, the SGC in lockdown and what was probably worse, succumbing to the disease himself. She had just seen the team through the wormhole to P3X797, the planet where they had contracted the virus. They were going with the tranquiliser guns to recover Doctor Jackson who was still there and to offer the cure to the native people.

It had been quite a first week in a new job, Janet thought. She shook her head in bemusement. She guessed she was going to have to get used to it. She smiled. When she had been offered the post of Chief Medical Officer she had been thrilled; the unique experience and opportunity of the Stargate programme was staggering. It was definitely the brand new start she wanted. Janet shook her head and absently rubbed her naked finger where she had once worn her wedding band. Her divorce had been final for three months although if she were honest with herself the marriage had been over for a lot longer than that. She straightened her shoulders. It was over and she had a new chapter in her life to focus on. She heard a sound and a moment later Hammond opened his office door and beckoned her in.

'Take a seat, Doctor.' Hammond smiled at the petite brunette as she sank into a chair on the other side of the desk. She wore a white lab coat over her neat uniform; the very picture of professionalism. 'Firstly, Doctor Fraiser, let me pass on the thanks of the President and the Joint Chiefs at the speedy resolution of this crisis.'

Janet smiled. 'Thank you, sir. It was a team effort.'

'Well, you and your staff are to be commended.' Hammond said. 'And for what it's worth, you also have my personal thanks.' He waved at her. 'What's the situation now?'

'In total forty-eight personnel were affected. As you know, there were two early fatalities but all other affected personnel have now received treatment. There are five people in isolation recovering and I expect them all to make a full recovery.' Janet began reciting the information from her memory without opening the buff folder she held. 'In reviewing the blood samples from Colonel O'Neill and the individuals that received the first dosage of treatment, the virus has been completely eliminated and I'm confident that it won't reoccur. However, to ensure that we reduce the risk of such an outbreak happening in the future, I've prepared a list of recommendations that I believe we should institute immediately.' She opened the folder and took out a sheet of paper.

Hammond took the sheet and reviewed it. 'You want to implement pre and post gate travel medical checks.'

'Yes, sir.' Janet folded her arms on the desk and leaned forward. 'The pre-examination will allow us to gain a baseline check on the individual's health. Not only can we can prevent someone who isn't fit from travelling but we can use this data for comparison with the post-examination. It will alert us to any significant changes in hormone and mineral levels, possibly give an early warning that a contagion has been brought back through the gate. In addition, the post examination will allow us to formally check for the presence of a symbiote rather than the informal approach to date.' Janet noted. 'Long term I can also track the data to monitor the effect of gate travel on the human body. I'd like to run a full medical exam for everyone on base to establish a baseline set of information; MRIs, CAT scans, the works.'

'Well, given what's just happened, I think these checks sound highly sensible.' Hammond said. 'Have a member of your team work with the Sergeant to coordinate with the gate travel schedule and I'll order all personnel to comply immediately.'

'Thank you, sir.' Janet said.

Hammond paused in reading the next recommendation and his blue eyes flickered to hers. 'You also want to implement mandatory psych evaluations for all SG teams as part of post-mission protocol.'

'Yes, sir.' Janet said firmly. 'The experiences these men and women are going through are highly unusual. Military personnel are not the most forthcoming at admitting when they can't emotionally or psychologically deal with something. I believe a mandatory evaluation will force them into addressing those needs.'

Hammond frowned. 'I admit I'm at a loss as to how it relates to the current situation.'

'Fallout, sir.' Janet explained. 'While the physical effects of the virus have been dealt with, the psychological and emotional impact is still to fully reveal itself.' She shifted position in her chair. 'The virus affected the very way these men and women behaved. They acted in ways that are in direct conflict with their personal beliefs and values, social norms and military regulations.' Her fierce brown gaze met the General's. 'Just take the behaviour of the female personnel. Of the six women currently assigned on base, four were affected and all attempted to seek out a mate.'

'Such as the incident between Captain Carter and Colonel O'Neill?' Hammond murmured. He had been shocked at the doctor's initial report at the time about the confrontation between the two officers in the locker room.

'Yes, sir. Exactly like that incident. Luckily, all four women were restrained before anything happened beyond some initial contact. However, I am concerned about the fallout for them.' Janet gave a small sigh. 'In all cases, the partner choices were senior officers usually in the direct chain of command.' She frowned. 'If I take Captain Carter as an example, sir, she was hugely mortified at her behaviour towards the Colonel when she recovered and there may be issues that develop between the two of them as a result of what occurred. The same is true of the other women.'

'I'm confident in the ability of my people to work out those issues at an individual level.' Hammond said.

'And in most cases, they probably will.' Janet agreed. 'However, I wouldn't be surprised if one or more requested transfer before the end of this week. But it's not just the reaction between the individuals involved that concerns me. It's tough enough for these women without their behaviour and their choice of mate, a choice they would never have made in usual circumstances, becoming the focus of locker room gossip.' She paused realising what she had said. 'Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to refer to the incident between Captain Carter and Colonel O'Neill specifically by that remark…'

'That's OK, Doctor. I see where you're going with this.' Hammond sighed. 'Unfortunately, apart from a general memo telling people that there will be disciplinary action taken about such gossip, there's very little I can do.'

'It's not just the fallout for the women, sir.' Janet said sensing she was losing the argument. 'Relationships between male personnel were also affected. Major Thompson attacked Lieutenant Farrow, Colonel O'Neill attacked Doctor Jackson…the list is endless.' She quietly omitted the General's own attack on Sergeant Harriman.

Hammond leaned forward and placed the sheet down on his desk. 'I accept that there will be fallout, Doctor, but I'm against instituting any formal psychological checks to deal with it. I believe in most cases the individuals will accept that the behaviour was out of character and move on.'

'Sir…'

'I'm happy to accept that we should have a psychologist on staff who personnel can speak to at all times in a confidential manner should they wish to but I believe this should remain voluntary.' Hammond held up a hand. 'If you determine that an individual is not dealing with the fallout in a satisfactory manner and has not sought help then I am happy to reassess on a case by case basis.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Do you have anything else to add to your report, Doctor?'

'Not at this time, sir.' Janet said.

Hammond nodded. 'Well, again, good job, Doctor.'

'Thank you, sir.'

'Dismissed.'

o-O-o

The locker room was packed with men in various states of undress, showering, shaving or grooming. There was a steady hum of conversation, the occasional male laugh or shout. Jack O'Neill scowled as he adjusted the temperature on the water cascading over him. Daniel was showering with a speed Jack had previously considered him incapable of achieving; Teal'c was done and had headed back to the lockers muttering something about there being no space in front of the mirror. It wouldn't have been so bad if they had followed usual procedure, he grumbled to himself. SG4 and SG6 would have been long gone from the locker room before them were it not for the new post-mission medical examinations. As it turned out SG4 and SG6 had all been diagnosed with inebriation from some drink they had consumed off-world and had been released from the infirmary at the same time as the team that had gone back to P3X797. Jack sighed and closed his eyes. He and the rest of the team had gotten used to having the place to themselves but with all the SG teams now operational, he guessed they were going to have to get used to sharing.

Who the hell had decided on the immediate implementation of medical examinations anyway? He muttered under his breath. No doubt it was Fraiser. The petite doctor had probably sweet-talked Hammond into it after the whole parasitical virus debacle. A small inner voice argued that she had a point as he rinsed off. He could have quite happily missed the whole reverting to primitive behaviour thing and he would bet his life the rest of his team would have also opted to bypass the experience. Under the noise of the spray, he could hear Harris from SG2 telling SG4 and SG6 all about it; they had been lucky enough to be off-world when it had happened.

Jack frowned. What had happened during the virus thing had the potential to damage SG1 just as they were beginning to develop that nebulous, inexplicable closeness that came with being team-mates. He had beaten up Daniel in a fit of primal jealousy, Teal'c had seemingly failed to keep Daniel from being abducted and, Carter had, well, chosen _him_, her CO, as her mate and tried to seduce him. At least she hadn't chosen Daniel or they'd all have owed him an apology.

Daniel, being Daniel, had waved away apologies as unnecessary and Jack had managed to tease the younger man out of feeling guilty about his primitive dalliance by using his own experience with Carter. He flushed a little at the memory and his eyes unconsciously darted in the direction of the lockers where he and Carter had wrestled, for the want of a better term, during her seduction attempt. He wrenched his gaze away and adjusted the water to freezing before he switched it off completely. He grabbed a towel and headed for the lockers.

Jack figured he and the young Captain had just found a nice working rhythm before the mission to P3X797. He was developing a healthy respect for her abilities and she was relaxing more around him. They were establishing a good rapport and he hated to think that their wrestling match might change things. Luckily Carter seemed as keen as he was to treat the whole thing lightly. Although, maybe his remark about her tank top, in response to her apology, had been a little too suggestive. In hindsight, it was definitely a little too revealing about his attraction to her.

He sighed. It was one more reason why he could have done without the whole virus experience. He had managed in the month or so of working with Carter to pretty much ignore the fact that he was attracted to her. Very attracted to her. If he was honest it was the most attracted to a woman he'd been since his wife had left him. Initially, he had managed to offset the attraction with his dislike that she was a scientist but he had gained a respect for her that made that more difficult. When they had visited with the Shavadai and Carter had worn a traditional dress, it had taken every ounce of restraint for Jack not to agree out loud with the kid, Abu, when he had noted that Carter was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Just how attracted he was had been evident in their wrestling match despite all his protests and attempts to restrain her. Hell, he thought furiously, he defied any man not to respond when they had a woman who was as attractive as Carter in their arms basically demanding sex.

Jack flung the wet towel on the bench behind him and reached for his clothes. He could have quite happily lived in denial about his attraction for a lot longer especially given their working relationship and particularly as he doubted that it was returned despite Carter choosing him as her mate under the influence of the virus. Fraiser's explanation that Carter's choice had to do with basic species survival instincts and was nothing personal made sense as had the doctor's breezy assumption that Carter would never have chosen him in normal circumstances. Jack knew Fraiser was probably thinking about the regulations that restricted interaction between officers but he figured that even without the regulations he wouldn't be the Captain's choice. If Carter hadn't been working off primal instincts he believed she probably would have picked Daniel even if that was a little galling for his ego to admit. Maybe that belief was why he'd gone primal on Daniel when the virus had taken control of him, Jack thought with sudden insight. He briefly stopped dressing to wonder whether his attraction to Carter wasn't the universe's way of playing some huge cosmic joke on him or retribution for letting his marriage go down the toilet.

He grabbed a clean t-shirt and dragged it over his head. He'd been cleared to leave the base and he fully intended to head home, grab a beer and watch his favourite TV shows that hopefully he had managed to get the video to record properly. Get the whole thing with Carter out of his head. Put it into perspective.

'You wouldn't believe some of the stuff that went down with this virus.' The mumbled voice drifted over to him and Jack tried to tune it out.

'Oh yeah?'

'Yeah, the women in particular went nuts. Apparently it made them want to you know.'

'And I missed it?' There was a laugh. 'Damn!'

'I heard one of the women actually did it.' A third voice joined the discussion on the other side of the locker room.

Home, beer, TV; Jack repeated in his head.

'Yeah, which one? Don't tell me it was Carter. God, that chick is hot.'

Jack stiffened and he felt rather than saw Daniel and Teal'c do the same.

There was a mumble he couldn't quite make out before the SG4 guy laughed.

'Right. Like they really stopped.'

'Hey, MacNally, you might want to shut up.' Lou Ferretti, his team mate, shot a worried look at the SG1 team.

'Aw, come on. Like we all don't know how she got into SG1.'

The locker room fell silent as Jack slammed his locker door shut and whirled to face the hapless MacNally.

'Why don't you enlighten us?' He bit off angrily.

'Jack…' Daniel took a single step to Jack's side noting Teal'c was also moving to flank him.

'Daniel.' Jack acknowledged the archaeologist and waved at MacNally who was weaving slightly on his feet. 'The Captain here was just about to tell us why Carter got her place on SG1.'

Daniel tensed at the look in Jack's eyes. It bore a striking similarity to the one Jack had fixed on him before the Colonel had started pounding on him when suffering from the virus.

'Look, Jack, he's drunk and he didn't mean anything by it…' Ferretti began.

'Are you seriously trying to tell us she didn't screw you?' MacNally blurted out.

It wasn't the first time most of the men in the room had heard someone comment that it was likely Carter had gotten her place on SG1 on her back and not on merit but it was the first time anyone had dared voice the idea in front of SG1 and in particular, in front of Colonel O'Neill.

Jack's hands fisted and his brown eyes narrowed dangerously. 'You want to repeat that?' He said in a quiet tone that should have alerted MacNally to the danger he had just placed himself in.

'Hey. I can't blame you!' MacNally said laughing loudly. 'I wouldn't mind screwing her…'

Jack moved in a blur to punch MacNally and quickly found himself held fast by Daniel and Teal'c even as Ferretti and another SG4 member grabbed MacNally preventing him from a counter-attack.

'Jack, this isn't going to help.' Daniel muttered quietly. 'If you punch him you'll just get into trouble. I know I'm only the civilian here but aren't there charges for this type of thing in the military?'

Jack took a deep breath and stilled. As much as he hated to admit it, Daniel was right. He nodded at his team-mates to let him go and glared at Ferretti. 'Get that idiot out of my sight.' He pointed furiously at MacNally.

'Done.' Ferretti started to drag the half-dressed MacNally out of the locker room.

'Hey, get off me Ferretti. Shit, we all know she has to be…'

'You're an idiot, MacNally. I was in the briefing room when Hammond sicced her on the Colonel in the first place.' Ferretti muttered struggling to get the younger man moving.

'So she's screwing Hammond as well as O'Neill.' MacNally yelled trying to extricate himself from Ferretti's hold.

'Ferretti, if you don't get him out of here,' Jack warned, 'I'll bring _him_ up on charges for disrespecting a superior officer.'

Ferretti slipped on the wet floor and MacNally got free of his hold.

'The last time I checked I'm still the same rank as the Captain or is she getting a promotion for services rendered?' MacNally blustered.

'Daniel, what's my rank?' Jack demanded, his jovial tone contrasting with the heat of anger still brewing in his eyes.

'Colonel.'

'And Hammond. What rank would he be?' Jack continued.

'He is a General, O'Neill.' Teal'c responded.

'So, _Captain_ MacNally,' Jack said, 'as you're accusing both the General and myself of breaking the fraternisation regulations with a junior officer I would say you've managed to disrespect us, wouldn't you?'

MacNally flushed but he had no reply.

Ferretti patted his shoulder. 'Come on, MacNally. Let it go.'

The Captain shrugged Ferretti off him. 'Hey. OK. She didn't get her place by screwing anybody but I'm betting when she laid it out on a plate for you with that virus thing, you went ahead and did her anyway and only said you stopped before anything happened. I mean you're not going to turn that down, am I right or am I right?'

Teal'c got to Jack before the Colonel could move but Daniel didn't try to stop his friend again, instead the mild-mannered archaeologist was charging across the locker room. His fist shot out and connected with a surprised MacNally who collapsed to the floor like a deflated balloon.

For a second time in as many minutes, the whole of the locker room stood paralysed.

Daniel breathed hard at the sight of the man lying on the floor at his feet. He'd knocked someone out! His astonishment and, if he was honest, pleasure was quickly drowned out by a sudden rush of pain. 'Ow, ow, ow!' He cradled his hand against his chest.

Teal'c and Jack took the couple of steps over to their team-mate.

Ferretti knelt down by MacNally. 'He's out cold.'

'Danny.' Jack couldn't stop the huge grin from spreading across his face. He clasped the younger man's shoulder. 'I didn't know you had it in you.'

'It was a very well executed punch, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c commented with satisfaction.

'Is it supposed to hurt this much?' Daniel asked bewildered.

Jack looked at the rapidly swelling knuckles. 'We should get you to the infirmary.' His brown eyes landed with disgust on MacNally. 'Ferretti, you and the rest of SG4 can carry _him_ down there.'

'Yes, Colonel.' Ferretti said registering the order behind the casually delivered words.

The rest of the locker room waited until SG1 had left before conversation resumed in an excited babble.

o-O-o

'What in God's name is going on? Is it another outbreak of the virus?' Hammond said to Janet Fraiser as he glanced worriedly across the treatment room to where Daniel Jackson was sat on one of the beds, an ice-pack secured to his hand with a bandage. The other three members of the SG1 team hovered around him.

'Uh no, sir.' Janet said her hold on her folder tightened. 'I believe this is part of the fallout from the virus that you and I were discussing earlier.' She gave a brief explanation of the fight that had occurred; Doctor Jackson had been surprisingly forthcoming once she'd kicked his team-mates out of the treatment room. 'Anyway, after MacNally basically accused Colonel O'Neill of taking advantage of Captain Carter while she was ill,' she concluded, 'Doctor Jackson took exception and hit him.' She tried and failed to keep the satisfaction out of her voice.

'Doctor Jackson?' Hammond's blue eyes were stunned. 'Doctor Jackson hit Captain MacNally?' Of all of the SG1 team, the archaeologist seemed the least likely to resort to physical violence and Hammond counted Captain Carter in that assessment.

'Yes, sir.' Janet tried to keep the smile from her face.

'And where is Captain MacNally now?' Hammond asked.

'He's in recovery, sir.' Janet said. 'He was knocked out momentarily but came to a few minutes ago. I'd like to keep him overnight for observation as a precaution particularly given the level of his inebriation.'

'I see.' Hammond sighed. He wasn't sure what to do. MacNally he could discipline according to the regulations but Doctor Jackson wasn't military and Hammond couldn't envisage how to even begin dealing with it. 'I can't have fights breaking out amongst my people without taking action no matter how justified the reason.' He murmured unhappily.

Janet bit her lip. She really didn't want to see Doctor Jackson get punished for simply protecting his team-mates especially given what he had told her MacNally had said and she figured the General didn't really want to punish him either. 'Of course not, General, but given that I understand this is unusual behaviour for Doctor Jackson, I believe it could be a…a residual effect from the heightened levels of testosterone and territorial behaviour stimulated by the virus.' She said hurriedly. 'He was the last to receive treatment, sir.'

Hammond looked at her carefully and she was careful to keep her face as expressionless as possible. While the eradication of the virus made any residual effects unlikely, the theory wasn't completely implausible. She just hoped he didn't ask her to run any tests to confirm it.

'Thank you, Doctor.'

'You're welcome, sir.' Janet said as he walked away. She breathed a sigh of relief.

'Doctor Jackson.' Hammond said as he came to stand at the foot of the bed. His eyes glanced off the two military officers. 'At ease, Colonel, Captain.'

'General Hammond, if I may, I'd like to explain…' Daniel began.

'It was my fault, General.' Jack cut in. 'I should have ignored MacNally when he began mouthing off.'

'Well, as the doctor informs me the incident is likely due to a residual effect of the virus, there will no disciplinary action.' Hammond said.

'Really?' Jack said. 'Cool.'

Hammond shot him a look.

'That's good news, sir.' Jack hastily corrected.

'I most certainly do not expect a repeat performance, Doctor Jackson, is that clear?' Hammond gave the archaeologist his best stern look.

'Yes. Thank you, General.' Daniel said with a sigh of relief.

'Let's chalk this up to fallout and move on, people.' Hammond said. He gave them a sharp nod and left.

'Fallout?' Daniel asked confused as he shifted trying to find a more comfortable position for his bruised hand.

'Beats me.' Jack said as the doctor approached.

'How's your hand feeling now, Doctor Jackson?' Janet asked, unwrapping the bandage to get a closer look at the bruising.

'Better, I think.' Daniel said wincing as he flexed the fingers.

'You know you still haven't told me exactly why you punched MacNally.' Sam said. They had all avoided the question when she'd joined them earlier.

'He heard about the incident with you and Jack when you were suffering from the virus.' Daniel confessed.

'Oh.' Sam felt herself bristle. 'You know I can take care of myself, Daniel.'

'I know.' Daniel said replying to Sam. 'And although we were obviously all defending you because of what MacNally was saying, and by the way, I really don't understand why you joined the military if you have to put up with that kind of crap…'

'Hey, we're all not that bad.' Jack said defensively.

Daniel's blue eyes pinned him. 'Two words, Jack; tank top.'

Jack flushed. 'Uh…you heard that?'

Daniel nodded.

Sam's lips twitched as her amused eyes caught the chagrined Colonel's. 'No harm, no foul, Colonel.'

Jack gave her a small nod of acknowledgement and decided he'd gotten off lightly. He had to admit he had developed a much better understanding of the type of crap Carter actually had to put up with in the last few hours. He didn't know if MacNally's opinion about how she had got her place on SG1 was widespread but he felt an increased sense of responsibility toward protecting her reputation. Hell, that was the reason why the fraternisation regulations existed in the first place. He was her CO and he couldn't look at her _that_ way. A dull ache of disappointment that a repeat performance of their wrestling match was completely out of the question competed with his regret that he might have already made things worse for Carter with his tank top remark.

'Anyway,' Daniel continued, 'when I punched MacNally I wasn't really defending…you.' He gestured at Sam.

'You weren't?' She asked surprised. 'So who were you defending?'

Daniel's eyes slid to Jack's smirking face and then to the floor. 'Jack…I was kinda defending Jack.'

'And I appreciate it, Daniel.' Jack said his voice vibrating with laughter.

'Right.' Daniel said insincerely.

Sam couldn't stop herself from smiling.

Janet pushed her own amusement to one side and focused on her examination. 'Hmmm. The swelling has reduced a lot.' She said. 'I don't think there'll be any permanent damage. I'll get the nurse to strap your hand and give you something for the pain, Doctor Jackson.'

'Doctor Fraiser…' Sam made to stop her as the other woman started to move away.

'Yes, Captain?' Janet asked.

'General Hammond mentioned that you thought Daniel's behaviour might be because of some residual effect of the virus?' Sam asked.

'Yes.' Janet nodded but as her eyes met the other woman's she knew the Captain knew the truth of the odds. Never try and fool a scientific genius, Janet thought with rueful amusement.

'Captain?' Jack asked seeing the look pass between the two women.

'Sorry, sir.' Sam said smoothly. 'I was just considering how fortunate it was that Doctor Fraiser was able to link Daniel's unusual behaviour to the residual effects of the virus.'

The rest of SG1 got the message.

'Yes. Fortunate.' Jack said admiringly.

'Indeed,' said Teal'c.

'Thank you, Doctor.' Daniel said.

Jack nodded. 'Yeah. Thanks, Doc.'

Sam smiled warmly at her.

Janet glanced around the SG1 team and found four identical expressions of gratitude looking back at her, even from the usually impassive Mr Teal'c who bowed his head slightly as her gaze fell on him. She gave a small nod of acknowledgement and headed out. At the door she hesitated and glanced back at SG1. The four of them seemed like such a strong unit despite what had happened with the virus, or maybe, she pondered, because of what had happened. The Colonel looked over as though he sensed her regard and winked. She struggled to repress a smile as she hastened out of the room. Maybe the fallout from the virus wasn't all bad; a stronger SG1 and maybe the beginnings of her own friendship with them seemed like positives to her. She was smiling as she entered MacNally's room to give him an injection. Yep, it was definitely the brand new start she had wanted.


	5. Talking Strategy

**Author's Note: **Emphasis on Sam/Jack, Sam/ Daniel and Sam/Teal'c friendships.

**The First Commandment Recap: **_SG1 are sent to investigate what is happening with SG9. They find Lieutenant Connor who tells them the SG9 leader, Captain Jonas Hansen, who was once engaged to Sam, believes he is the God of the native people on the planet. Unfortunately, things don't go to plan as Sam, Jack and Connor are captured by Hansen and Sam is forced to work on a shield device which Hansen intends to use to prove his Godhood. However, he is unaware that two devices working together are required to produce a shield. Luckily, Daniel and Teal'c work with one of the natives to find the second device and when Hansen's demonstration fails, they use it to establish the shield and prove Hansen is not a God. Hansen is killed by the natives, leaving Sam pensive about the mission. _

**Talking Strategy**

Captain Samantha Carter took one step into the room and lowered the box she held to the bench in front of her with dismay. There were boxes everywhere. She sank onto the stool and frowned. She hadn't requisitioned _all_ this stuff – had she? She chewed her lip ruefully remembering the long list she had handed to General Hammond. OK, maybe she had ordered all of this stuff but come on, this was her own lab! She ran a hand over the smooth work surface and found herself grinning. Her very own lab. With the expansion of the Stargate mission to include cultural and scientific study, Hammond had informed her and Daniel Jackson that they were being assigned space; Daniel, an office and Carter, a lab. She sighed as her blue eyes counted up the number of boxes. Maybe she should ask the guys for help. _No. _The automatic response was ingrained. She could manage on her own; she just needed to figure out where to start.

Her eyes landed on the box she had carried in and she opened it up. The stack of books and notes had been taking up space at the bottom of her locker since she'd transferred from the Pentagon. She reached in and started to unpack. Reference books on astronomy competed with tomes on quantum physics. Her hand closed on a small black book. She smoothed a hand over the cover. Jonas's bible. The Colonel had handed it to her at the end of their last mission a few days before and she had thrown it into her locker unsure what to do with it. Her fingers traced over the faded gilt title and opened it. _Jonas Hansen._ The neatly stencilled name gave her pause and her mind flashed back to the planet, of the angry mob surrounding the crazed man and carrying him like a relentless stream to the Stargate with its open wormhole to Earth. The locals Jonas has terrorised had thrown him in and, without the transmission of an accompanying identification code, Jonas had died on impact with the closed iris that protected the SGC. It had been a brutal way to die and one she would not have wished upon her worst enemy never mind a man she had once agreed to marry. Why had she done that again?

Sam shivered and dropped the bible back into the box. She turned away and opened up the box on the counter next to it. Another stack of books stared up at her. She started to unpack them into a cupboard. She had met Jonas when they had both been on assignment to the Pentagon. A chance meeting at a joint briefing that led to their first date at one of the fashionable Washington bars. Jonas had been charming, witty and surprisingly romantic. There had been an age difference which hadn't worried Sam. He was an experienced military man with a good reputation and a mysterious background in black ops. She'd recognised early on that Jonas had a dangerous edge about him but she figured it was more than offset by the vulnerability she occasionally glimpsed. She had literally been swept off her feet by him and had eagerly agreed to the proposal after only a few months of dating. She had been so naïvely sure that their love would chase away the last of Jonas's demons. How wrong she'd been.

It had been little things at first, she thought as she moved on to another box. The choice of the restaurant for dinner; a remark about the dress she wore; a buried insult in something meant to be a compliment; a complaint about her working late again. They were small things that she had absently responded to without realising how she was changing to accommodate his wishes, his needs and subjugating her own while her confidence eroded. Eventually, small things became big things. Jonas's disapproval began to manifest itself in flashes of anger where he'd throw things across the room and break things until she gave into his tantrums at the subtle threat of violence. Then Jonas had gone on a long mission. He had been away two months; long enough for her to gain some perspective and realise how much control she had handed over to him. She flushed when she remembered that she had given up that control without a murmur of protest; she had thought herself stronger than that. Well, she had been strong enough to recognise it and put a stop to it. When Jonas returned, she had handed him his ring back and told him that she couldn't marry him.

He had hit her.

An unexpected backhanded slap that had sent her sprawling across the floor of his apartment. Her hand crept to the more recent bruise Jonas had given her on the mission when he had lashed out after she had kicked his gun from his hand. Her cheek was still sore much like it had been that first time in his apartment only then she hadn't been with her team on a mission, she had been on her own and what had followed had been the most terrifying hour of her life. She shuddered. He had kept her hostage in the apartment while he ranted and raved at her, how she wouldn't leave him, how it was his decision when it was over. He had circled her the whole time, sometimes coming close enough to yell in her ear, other times to whisper. There had been madness in his eyes and she had seriously feared for her life. But suddenly he had seemed to come to his senses; he had told her to get out. It had taken all her courage to walk out rather than to run. She had considered reporting him but she had just wanted to forget the whole experience. In the week that followed the break-up, she had refused his calls and binned the flowers he had sent as an apology.

Their next meeting had been in the corridors of the SGC. The Jonas who had greeted her had been something of a changed man; remorseful of his past behaviour and more at peace with himself. She had accepted his unequivocal apology and agreed that it would be best for them to be civil. He had even told her he hoped he would regain enough of her trust to be friends one day. Sam had been encouraged but she couldn't deny there had been a tremendous amount of relief when she had heard the news that his team, SG9, were to spend an extended period of stay on one planet to perform an anthropological study.

'I like what you've done with the place.'

Sam almost dropped the spectroscope she was holding and whirled to face the doorway.

Colonel Jack O'Neill looked back at her with concern. 'Sorry, Carter. I didn't mean to startle you.' He said slowly taking in the momentary flash of fear in the Captain's eyes.

'Sir.' She placed the instrument on her work counter and tried to get her racing heartbeat back to normal. 'I was just engrossed.' She waved at the boxes.

'So I see.' He picked up an object and examined it. 'What is all of this stuff anyway?'

'Equipment.' Sam hurried over and relieved him of the electronic sensor. 'That's fragile, sir.'

His brown eyes gleamed with amusement. 'Anybody would think you don't trust me, Captain.'

'I trust you with my life, Colonel.' Sam said truthfully putting the sensor safely away on a shelf.

'Just not your equipment.' He finished smoothly.

She shot a suspicious look at his impassive face. He couldn't mean…he couldn't be flirting with her, could he? It was fairly unlikely; they had both been extra careful to maintain a completely professional attitude around each other since she had tried to seduce him under the influence of an alien virus especially given the infamous fight between the men of SG1 and Captain MacNally of SG4 in the locker room that had followed. She just wanted to forget the whole thing. Well, maybe not the _whole_ thing; her CO certainly knew how to kiss…she quickly cast around for something, anything else to focus on. She suddenly registered his civilian clothes.

'On your way home, sir?' She asked relieved.

'Yes. Home.' Jack glanced around the multitude of unopened boxes. 'I could stay if you need a hand?'

'No, thank you, sir.' Sam said waving vaguely at the lab. 'It's not really as bad as it looks.'

Jack nodded and took a step into the room to close the distance between them. 'I do have another reason for stopping by, Captain.'

'Sir?'

'General Hammond has confirmed there won't be a memorial service for Captain Hansen.' Jack said. 'Given the circumstances; his playing God, trying to kill us all, torturing Connor…Hammond didn't think it was appropriate.'

'Understandable, sir.' Sam responded crisply.

'Well, I just wanted to let you know.' Jack's eyes narrowed on her expressionless face.

'Thank you, sir.'

He frowned at her polite tone. 'Are you OK with…' he gestured unsure how to frame his question and settled for vagueness, 'everything?'

Sam nodded. 'I'm fine, sir.'

Jack looked at her for a long moment. He was beginning to learn that hiding underneath the layers of competent Air Force Captain and scientific genius, there was an intriguingly quirky woman and he didn't think she was fine. He didn't need the tension lines on her face, the shadows in her eyes, or the faint bruise on her cheek from where Hansen had smacked her to tell him that. He felt anew the flare of anger at the latter. It didn't matter how many times he told himself that Carter was a military officer seeing Hansen hit her had roused every protective male instinct in him. At least he'd stopped her ex-fiancé from killing her. He repressed the urge to sigh and dragged his mind back to his original line of thought. No, his young Captain definitely wasn't fine. No normal sane person would be fine with what she was dealing with especially given Hansen's messy end; there had to be a lot of mixed emotions going on. Not that she was evidently going to confide in him.

He didn't blame her. He doubted he would have confided in his CO if their positions were reversed. Maybe he should stop by Daniel's quarters. She had seemed comfortable enough answering Daniel's questions about her relationship with Hansen on the planet. His decision was made.

'Well, don't stay up all night unpacking.' He cautioned her. 'We have a mission first thing tomorrow morning to P3X5…uh…' his mind came up blank.

Sam smiled at him. 'P3X562. I won't forget, sir.' She said. 'Night.'

'Night, Carter.'

She watched him leave and gave a sigh of relief before turning back to her unpacking.

o-O-o

'Hey.'

Sam wriggled out of the cupboard and looked up at Daniel who was stood next to her. 'Hey.'

'I wondered if you wanted to grab some dinner.' Daniel said.

Sam looked around. She had made a decent dent into the unopened boxes but if she worked through she figured she could be finished in a couple of hours. Her stomach growled suddenly and very audibly.

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

Sam grinned. 'Guess my answer's yes.' She stood up and dusted off her pants.

'Actually I was hoping to ask your advice.' Daniel said as they headed to the commissary. 'You lived in Colorado Springs before, right?'

'Yeah. For a couple of years.'

'I'm thinking about getting an apartment.'

'Well, I guess you can't live on base forever.' Sam teased.

Daniel smiled. 'Guess not.'

'Are you going to rent or buy?' Sam asked idly as they got into the elevator.

'Rent.' Daniel shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets. 'When I find Sha're we'll go back to Abydos.'

Sam glanced across at the archaeologist and bit her lip. She knew there was no point telling Daniel about the improbability of finding Sha're, of finding a way to remove the Goa'uld from her, of returning his wife to him just the way he remembered her for them to resume their lives together. She knew he knew the facts as well as she did and to remind him would simply be cruel. 'Well, there's some great apartments downtown in some of the older buildings. You'd probably like them.'

'That sounds good.' Daniel murmured.

'I would start there if I were you.' Sam said. 'I could come with you to look if you want.'

'That would be great.' Daniel said. 'I was thinking of taking Teal'c too.'

'Teal'c?' Sam asked as they exited the elevator and headed down the corridor.

'I kinda feel bad for him.' Daniel admitted a little sheepishly. 'He hasn't been off base since he got here.'

Sam hid a smile and refrained from noting the same could be said for Daniel. She was pleased at his comment though. Daniel and Teal'c seemed to be moving past the Jaffa's role in Sha're's predicament. 'Why don't I speak with the General? I'm sure we could work something out.'

They swapped apartment and moving day horror stories over dinner. Sam started in on her dessert with enthusiasm. Daniel was good company and the uncomplicated subject they had stuck to had allowed her to relax a little.

Daniel watched as she spooned up another lump of blue jello and wondered what she saw in the stuff. He reached for his coffee and wondered how he broached the subject of Hansen. He shifted uncomfortably, his mind slipping back to Jack's visit to his quarters…

'_Jack.' Daniel stared at the older man stood outside his door. Since their return from Chulak he could count the times Jack had sought him out off duty on the fingers of one hand._

'_Daniel.' Jack raised his eyebrows. 'Are you going to let me in?'_

'_Ah…sure.' Daniel waved him into the room._

_Jack looked at the cluttered room. Books were stacked in one corner, the desk was littered with papers and there were artefacts on every other available surface. Jack's attention snagged on a photo frame on the bedside table and he picked it up surprised to see a still of Sha're._

'_Sam printed it off the video from Abydos.' Daniel said quietly, stuffing his hands in his pockets._

_Jack put the photo back down. 'It's a great photo.'_

'_Yeah.' Daniel agreed. Until he found Sha're again, it was all he had to remember his wife apart from his memories._

'_So.' Jack straightened._

'_So.' Daniel repeated._

_They stared at each other._

_Daniel sighed. 'Jack, you came to see me.'_

'_Right.' Jack rocked back on his heels. 'Hammond decided not to have a memorial service for Hansen.'_

'_I guess that's not too surprising given the whole pretending to be a god thing.' Daniel noted. _

_Jack wandered over to the book case and picked up a statue. 'Don't forget the trying to kill us part.'_

'_Ah…Jack.' Daniel strode across the room and plucked the figurine from Jack's hands. 'That's fragile.' He carefully replaced the statue. 'So does Sam know?'_

_Jack folded his arms across his chest. 'Yeah. I just told her.' _

_Daniel glanced at him. There was something in the tone of his voice. 'How is she?'_

'_She said she was fine.' Jack said._

_Daniel frowned. 'And you accepted that?'_

'_I don't exactly have a choice, Daniel.' Jack pointed out. 'The regs say I can't order her to talk to me about,' he waved vaguely, 'personal stuff.'_

'_But you think she needs someone to talk to,' Daniel realised, 'and you want me to get her to talk to me.'_

'_See. I knew you'd work it out.' Jack said patting his arms and heading for the door._

'_Jack…' Daniel followed him hastily. 'I can't just turn up and ask her to talk to me.'_

'_So, drop by her lab and ask her to grab some dinner with you.' Jack said._

'_She might not want to talk to me.' He argued as Jack opened his door and stepped out._

_Jack looked back over his shoulder. 'I have every confidence in you, Daniel.'_

And with that, Jack had left. Daniel sighed. Sam had been a good friend to him since he had come back from Abydos and it had been obvious since they had returned from the planet that the incident with Hansen was bothering her. If she needed a friend then he genuinely wanted to be there for her. He took a fortifying gulp of his coffee. 'Jack dropped by on his way out.'

'Oh?' Sam said.

'He told me that they're not giving Captain Hansen a memorial service.'

Sam slowed in spooning up the dessert. 'Yeah, he mentioned that to me too.'

Daniel's blue eyes gleamed with compassion. 'It can't be easy for you.'

Sam shrugged. 'I'm fine.' She said digging into the jello with a renewed fervour. 'That's not to say I wouldn't have liked things to have worked out differently.'

'Well, you were engaged to the guy.' Daniel said softly.

Sam shook herself slightly. 'I'm sorry about the way he died but given the circumstances…I'm glad it was him that was thrown into the wormhole rather than Connor or Colonel O'Neill.'

Daniel frowned. 'Sam…'

'I'm fine. Really.' She insisted.

'If you want someone to talk to…'

'Thanks for the offer, Daniel, but I'm OK.' Sam said firmly. She put her spoon down leaving the dessert half-finished. 'I'd better get back to the lab.'

'You want some help unpacking?' Daniel asked rising as she got to her feet.

'No, you're OK.' Sam hesitated. 'Thanks, Daniel.'

He nodded and she left before he could say anything else. He sat back down and took a gulp of his coffee as he contemplated how he told Jack that Sam wouldn't talk to him either.

o-O-o

Sam wiped her brow and reached for the final box. Her lab was shaping up nicely, she thought with satisfaction and it wasn't even late. She could still get a goodnight's sleep before the mission in the morning. She pulled out a radiation monitor and set it aside.

'Doctor Carter.'

She froze at the sound of Teal'c's voice and sighed. First, the Colonel with his vague 'are you OK with everything' and then Daniel with his 'if you want someone to talk to'. If there was one person she had been relying on not to try and console her over Jonas it was Teal'c. She turned to face him with angry resignation.

'What, Teal'c?' She gestured furiously at the Jaffa whose only response was to raise a questioning eyebrow. 'Let me stop you before you even start. I'm fine, thank you for your concern. I just don't need everyone looking at me as though I'm about to break down because I was stupid enough to get engaged to Jonas one time in my life and he turned into some kind of crazed madman and I _don't_ need to talk about it.'

Sam came to a breathless halt. Teal'c stared back at her nonplussed and her heart sank. 'You didn't come to talk to me about Jonas did you?' She could feel the heat of the blush flooding her whole face.

'I will return on another occasion, Doctor Carter.' Teal'c said taking a step backwards towards the door.

'Teal'c, wait.' Sam sighed. 'I'm sorry.'

Teal'c didn't reply. He simply clasped his hands together behind his back and regarded her with a thoughtful expression.

She sank onto the stool. 'It's just…' she gestured weakly. 'The Colonel and Daniel have both been trying to get me to talk about the whole Jonas thing,' she scowled, 'as if I need to talk about it.'

'But you do not.' Teal'c stated.

'No.' Sam said in fervent agreement. 'I mean there really isn't anything to talk about.'

'Perhaps they expect you to feel sadness at the death of Jonas Hansen.' Teal'c commented.

'Well, I do.' Sam admitted. 'Feel sad, I mean. I just…my relationship with Jonas was over a long time before this whole thing happened.'

'I see.' Teal'c murmured softly.

'It wasn't even like I regretted it being over after he…' Sam stumbled to a halt. She couldn't quite believe what she had been about to admit. She breathed out sharply and leaped to her feet. She paced over to a bench where she fiddled with a microscope. 'The whole thing was just a mistake and I fixed it. I gave back the ring. Even when he got transferred here, I knew I could handle him being part of the SGC.'

Teal'c remained silent.

'But I didn't want to do the mission.' She confessed. Her blue eyes shot to Teal'c's. 'I swear I intended to do my best though.'

'I do not believe you are capable of anything less, Doctor Carter.'

'Thank you, Teal'c.' She waved a lens cap at him. 'But, I made a right mess of it.' She frowned and put the lens cap down. 'I had a gun pointed at him and I couldn't shoot him.'

'I have observed your strong belief that one should protect the weak and vulnerable.' Teal'c stated. 'Perhaps when you pointed the gun at Jonas Hansen, you saw not a False God who needed to die but rather a sick man who needed saving.'

'That's what Jonas said to me.' Sam murmured. 'I couldn't save him though, could I?'

'I do not believe anyone could have saved Jonas Hansen except Jonas Hansen.' Teal'c said.

'The way he died, Teal'c.' Sam shook her head. 'Nobody should die like that and you know what I felt when I saw him thrown into the wormhole? I was relieved. And you know why?' She didn't wait for him to answer. 'Because I wouldn't have to deal with him again. And now I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling. What am I supposed to be feeling?' The tears flooded her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks before she could prevent them. She swiped at the moisture, mortified. She whirled away from the bench and stood with her back to the Jaffa. 'Sorry.' She gasped. 'Just ignore me.'

Teal'c moved silently to stand behind her and gently handed her a tissue over her shoulder. She took it gratefully and scrubbed at her face, blew her nose. Eventually, she turned back.

'I really am sorry, Teal'c.' Sam said apologetically.

'There is no need to apologise, Doctor Carter.' Teal'c said resuming his previous position.

Sam waved her tissue at the Jaffa. 'You didn't even come in here for all…this.' She took a deep breath and regarded him curiously. 'What did you come here for?'

'I was wondering whether you had seen Daniel Jackson. I was unable to locate him in his quarters.' Teal'c said.

'Sorry, Teal'c.' Sam said. 'I haven't seen him since dinner.'

'Then I will leave you.' Teal'c said inclining his head.

'Maybe I could help?' Sam offered.

'Perhaps.' Teal'c murmured. 'I wished to learn more about this Abraham Daniel Jackson mentioned.'

'Well, he's a biblical figure, Teal'c.' Sam said and seeing his confusion smiled. 'He's mentioned in the bible. It's the religious text of one of the main faiths here on Earth; Christianity.'

'I see.'

Sam reached into the open box still on the counter. She drew out Jonas's bible. 'Here, Teal'c. You should read this.'

Teal'c took the small black book from her. 'Thank you, Doctor Carter.' He bowed a little and left Sam alone in the lab.

She sniffed and looked around the almost completed room. She felt better after her talk with Teal'c, she mused, although she couldn't believe she'd burst into tears on the poor guy. She blushed again. Still, perhaps she'd been a little hard on the Colonel and Daniel earlier; maybe she had needed to talk after all.

o-O-o

Sam plugged in the television and adjusted its position on the top of the portable unit. 'I'm afraid it's not a very recent model, Teal'c, but it still works and you'll be able to learn all about Earth with it at least until we can get you permission to leave the base.' She gave a final adjustment and satisfied at last turned to smile at the Jaffa. 'I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.'

'Hey, campers.' Jack stood in the doorway and reviewed the other three members of SG1. 'What's going on?'

'Sam got Teal'c a TV.' Daniel said trying to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

'It's actually one of the base's spare sets, sir.' Sam explained. She smiled brightly at the Jaffa. 'Now this is the remote. You switch it on using this and then you can channel hop.'

'Channel hop?' Teal'c inquired curiously.

'There'll be plenty of time to learn about TV later.' Jack said firmly. 'Don't we have a mission to get ready for?'

Sam turned to the Colonel. 'Sir, could I have five minutes? I need to speak with Sergeant Siler about my lab.'

Jack regarded Sam's clear eyes and relaxed posture. It looked like Daniel had been successful at his mission of getting her to talk. 'Five minutes, Captain. We'll wait for you in the gear-up room.'

'Yes, sir.'

She shot Teal'c another smile and hurried out. All three men looked after her, pleased to see her back to herself.

Jack patted Daniel's shoulder. 'See. I knew you could get her to talk.'

'Wasn't me.' Daniel said shaking his head.

Jack stared at him in surprise. 'It wasn't you?'

'No.'

'Then who?' Jack asked.

They looked at each other, at the TV, back at each other and then both slowly turned to look at Teal'c who was examining the remote as though it was the most fascinating device he had ever seen.

He looked up sensing their regard.

'Teal'c,' Jack drawled, 'is there something you want to tell us?'

'Yes,' Daniel said pushing his glasses up his nose and folding his arms across his chest, 'like why Sam talked to you and not us?'

Teal'c put the remote on the table and clasped his hands behind his back. His impassive expression took on a hint of mischief. 'It is simple.'

'Oh?' Jack asked.

'I had a superior strategy.' Teal'c said. The glimpse of their astonished faces as he left the room almost made him smile.


	6. One Door Closes

**Author's Note: **Jack/Hammond friendship. Jack/Team friendship. Jack/Sara.

**Cold Lazarus Recap:** _On a mission to P3X562, Jack is injured by an energy blast when he touches a crystal life-form. The alien tries to heal Jack but when he is unable to heal Jack's deepest pain, he mimics the unconscious colonel returning with the rest of the SG1 team to the SGC. He heads for the home of Jack's estranged wife, Sara O'Neill intending to retrieve Jack's son, Charlie, not immediately understanding that the boy is dead. A confused Sara is startled by 'Jack's' lack of military bravado and how readily he admits his feelings about what happened to their late son, Charlie, and their marriage. Meanwhile, the real Jack returns to the SGC. The team quickly work out what has happened and as the alien life-form is breaking down, head for a hospital where the double has just been admitted. There, Jack talks with the alien who transforms into Charlie. He and 'Charlie' say goodbye to Sara and SG1 returns with the alien to the SGC where Jack takes it back through the Stargate…_

**One Door Closes**

Colonel Jack O'Neill stepped out of the Stargate and back into the SGC. He pulled his cap and shades off on his way down the ramp. He skirted the buggy that had transported the crystals to the planet that he had sent through before him. Only one member of his team waited for him at the bottom; the Jaffa, Teal'c. Jack frowned. When he had left an hour before, all of SG1 had been stood there in silent support, and given what he had gone through – having an alien delve into his private emotions, mimic him and watching that alien turn into the image of his dead son – he had expected that Daniel Jackson and Captain Samantha Carter would have still been there when he got back. He nodded in greeting at Teal'c.

'Where's Carter and Daniel?' Jack asked.

'General Hammond gave them a mission, O'Neill.' Teal'c said.

Jack relaxed a little; his team-mates had been ordered away…that made him feel a little better. He pulled off the black gloves he wore.

'He wishes to see you in his office immediately on your return.' Teal'c concluded.

'Guess I'd better head up there.' Jack patted Teal'c's arm. 'Teal'c…' he hesitated unsure how to thank his friend for being in the gate room, for being there for him.

'You are welcome, O'Neill.' Teal'c inclined his head. O'Neill had been through a most difficult experience; to lose a child…the Jaffa's own heart seized at the thought of losing his son Rya'c. He couldn't imagine it and he definitely could not imagine having to witness an alien transforming into the very image of his dead child, making him for a moment alive again…Teal'c wondered at the strength of his friend in having the courage to face that.

Jack gave a pained smile as though he could see beyond Teal'c's impassive expression to the thoughts in his head and disappeared out the gate room. He took the internal stairs up to the briefing room and knocked on the side door to the General's office, glancing through the glass partition to see if Hammond was occupied. The General waved him in.

'Have a seat, Jack.' Hammond said kindly as Jack entered.

Jack sat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the General's desk trying not to show how grateful he was to be off his feet. His whole body felt tired and achy. He shouldn't be too surprised, he mused, he had been knocked out by an energy blast earlier in the day, slammed against a wall at the hospital when he'd gone to recover the alien by another and then there was the whole Charlie thing…he realised Hammond had started talking and he dragged his attention back to the General.

'I realise this has been a helluva day for you, Jack.' Hammond's Texan accent rolled through the words. 'It can't have been easy…'

'No, sir.' Jack cut him off and waved a hand in an abstracted apology. 'To be honest, General, I'd prefer not to dwell.'

Hammond's blue eyes met Jack's across the desk and the bald-headed man gave a sharp nod. 'Fair enough.' He cleared his throat. 'How did it go on the planet?'

Jack's mind flashed back to the sandy planet; the bright yellow sand dotted with brilliant blue crystals and his son standing holding his hand. Not his son. A facsimile. He pushed the image away and focused on answering the General's question. 'Good, sir.' He gestured. 'I returned all the crystals we took. The alien returned to its crystal form.' Another flash of memory…

'_I need to go now.' The slightly stilted words in Charlie's voice sent a sharp pain through Jack._

'_I know.'_

'_You will need to let go of my hand, Jack.'_

'_Yes.' Jack didn't let go. He crouched down and with his other hand cupped the cheek of the young boy in front of him. 'I wish…' The words left his lips unwillingly but it was the truth. A large part of him wished that he could have his son back, that the child in front of him was Charlie and not some alien._

'_Charlie is always with you.' The alien said. 'Here.' He touched Jack's heart._

_Jack nodded. His thumb rubbed over the smooth cheek before he dropped his hand and took a step back. He resisted the urge to beg for the alien to stay as Charlie even as the image of the small boy in front of him slowly transformed into something else – a stream of energy that drifted across the sand and into the crystal._

'Colonel?'

Hammond's gentle prompt brought Jack out of his reverie. He flushed a little. 'Sorry, General. The Unity are interested in maintaining contact.'

'That's good news.' Hammond noted. 'I'll schedule a team to go through and make the arrangements.'

'I think it might be best if SG1 took the mission, sir.' Jack said. 'Carter and Daniel did the most studying of the crystals and made the initial contact.'

'I'll take that into consideration, Colonel.' Hammond paused. 'However, SG1 are on stand down for the next forty-eight hours.'

'That won't be necessary, General.' Jack said quickly.

'I believe it is.' Hammond said simply. 'Doctor Fraiser has recommended the stand down to allow your body to heal from the trauma you sustained during your initial encounter with the crystal.'

Jack shrugged. 'I'm fine, sir.'

'Perhaps but I'm taking Doctor Fraiser's advice on this one.' Hammond said. He didn't need Doctor Fraiser to tell him about the tiredness and pain the other man must be feeling; he could see it for himself in the tense lines carved into the Colonel's face. 'You can file your mission report on your return.'

'Yes, sir.' Jack made to get to his feet and Hammond signalled for him to remain in the chair.

'One last thing.' Hammond looked across the desk sympathetically. 'In regard to your wife's interaction with the alien...'

Jack's heart sank. He had hoped that by some fluke everyone would have quietly forgotten about Sara's involvement.

'With respect, General, hasn't she been through enough without us sending someone round to drag her back through what happened?' Jack said a little of his anger bleeding through into his tone.

'I've sent Doctor Jackson and Captain Carter to do the follow-up.' Hammond said evenly, ignoring the anger. 'I thought you would be more comfortable with your own team handling it.'

Jack shifted in the chair. Daniel and Carter. If someone had to do it, he was glad it was them. Still… 'I'd have preferred to have taken the assignment myself, sir.'

'That was never going to happen, Jack.' Hammond said. 'Even if I was prepared to allow it…'

Jack nodded in understanding. He understood the security restrictions around the programme better than most.

'I have secured agreement for her to be informed about the programme inasmuch as it pertains to her own experience.' Hammond said.

Jack nodded again. At least Sara would understand a little, would have something to explain what had happened. 'Is that it, sir?'

Hammond sighed. 'If you ever need to talk, Jack, my door's always open.'

Jack's breath caught in the back of his throat at the kindness shining from the other man's eyes. 'Thank you, General.'

Hammond nodded. 'Well, once you've completed the usual post-travel medical you're free to leave the base.'

A smile flitted across Jack's face. 'Want to check it really is me this time, sir?'

'I'm learning you can never be too careful.' Hammond admitted wryly. He wasn't going to forget that he had allowed the alien pretending to be Jack to walk right out into the world any time soon. 'Dismissed.'

Jack pushed his way out of the chair and headed for the infirmary. The sooner he got the check out of the way, the sooner he could get home.

o-O-o

Jack woke abruptly, the sound of the gunshot that had killed Charlie loud in his mind. He groaned and rolled into a sitting position on the side of the bed while he rubbed the last vestiges of sleep from his eyes. He glanced at the clock. It was still early. He got up anyway and headed for the bathroom. He never could get back to sleep again after that particular nightmare, the one that replayed his son's death. The fear that going back to sleep would only mean another repeat made it impossible.

He snapped on the shower, stripped and stepped into it. For a long time, he let the water cascade over him. He rolled his shoulders trying to ease the muscles that were sore after the previous day's events. His mind drifted back to his late-night phone call with Daniel. The other man had called to let him know that the follow-up had gone well and that Sara was fine. Jack had appreciated the call, had appreciated that Daniel already knew him well enough to know he'd needed the call.

Seeing Sara the day before had been harder than he had expected. They hadn't seen each other since Jack had left for the first mission to Abydos soon after Charlie's death. He'd returned to her note telling him she wanted out of their marriage. He couldn't blame her. He loved her but their marriage had effectively ended the moment the doctor had told them Charlie was dead and she had stepped out of his arms telling him without words that it was his fault. It was ironic that the first time he had held her since their separation was at the same hospital, he thought tiredly.

He knew deep down that she had forgiven him for Charlie's death; the problem was that he had never been able to forgive himself. He had rejected her attempts to close the chasm that had opened up between them. A large part of him felt that he didn't deserve the warm and loving wife Sara had been to him prior to the accident; he preferred her anger. She had also in a strange way come to embody everything he had lost; a constant reminder of the son that had been torn away from him and one that he couldn't deal with. He was honest enough to acknowledge that in amongst the grief and regret at the loss of his marriage there had been relief. He sighed. It had been good to hold her again even though he figured it was going to be the last time. All of their communication was through lawyers as the formal separation of their marriage marched inextricably toward divorce. He didn't see that changing even with the events of the previous day.

He finished showering and dressed choosing a baggy pair of old corduroys and an old jumper. He headed into his kitchen to stare aimlessly at the contents of his fridge. He'd somehow managed to have enough sense to stop by an all-night store on his way home and the basic provisions sat looking back at him. He should eat something. His stomach churned uneasily. His eyes fell on a beer and for a long moment he was tempted to grab it, start early and drink himself into oblivion. Somehow, he reached for the eggs instead. He set some coffee brewing while he whisked up an omelette.

The doorbell rang.

Jack frowned. It was very early. Too early for visitors. He lowered the heat on the pan and wandered to the front door curiously. He opened it and blinked at the woman standing in front of him.

'Sara.'

'Hello, Jack.' Sara O'Neill smiled a little nervously at her husband, her fingers twisted around the straps of her handbag. 'I hope you don't mind I…'

'No, no. Come in.' Jack stepped back and let her inside. 'I was just about to have breakfast. You want some?'

Sara followed him into the kitchen and stared at the sight of the omelette and the coffee. 'Is this the Jack O'Neill world famous omelette?' She asked gently.

'Actually, no.' Jack said grabbing two mugs. 'Just plain ordinary omelette.' He caught her surprised look. He couldn't blame her. In the weeks following Charlie's death he had pretty much disappeared into a beer bottle. He was suddenly pleased that he had resisted the temptation to drink. He poured the coffee and handed her a mug.

Sara took it with a murmured word of thanks and he smiled almost shyly at her before he turned back to the stove and served up the meal. She followed him through to the dining area and sat down as he placed the plates on the table. He went back for cutlery and condiments. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke as they concentrated on the food.

Sara pushed a piece of omelette across the plate and looked over at Jack. 'I had some visitors last night.'

Jack glanced up and took a drink of coffee to wash away the omelette that had suddenly stuck in his throat. 'I know.'

Of course he knew. 'Your team seem nice.' She laid down her fork. She hadn't come for the food.

'They are.' Jack pushed his own plate away.

'Your Captain Carter fixed the ignition on Dad's car.' Sara murmured. She had been working on the car by flashlight when the Captain and Doctor Jackson had arrived.

Jack smiled a little. Trust Carter. 'She's good at that. Fixing things.'

'She told me she likes restoring old classics.'

'She does?' Jack asked a little startled. Carter seemed completely focused on her work. He didn't think she had a life outside the programme.

Sara looked at the confusion on his face. 'You didn't know?'

Jack gestured weakly at her. 'Getting to know people,' he sighed as he met her blue eyes, 'that was always your part of the deal.'

Sara smiled. 'You seemed to have managed OK without me.' The words came out a little sharper than she had intended.

Jack didn't know how to reply to that and he kept quiet.

'Your team…they're not the usual military types.' Sara commented.

Jack gave a short laugh. 'No.'

Sara looked at him fully. 'But I guess dealing with aliens and travelling to other planets isn't exactly typical work either.'

He shifted uncomfortably and drank some coffee. His brown eyes settled back on her. 'Why are you here, Sara?'

'I don't know.' She raised her eyes to the ceiling. Yesterday it had all seemed so different; he had seemed different. Not the alien but _him_. The man who had held her in the hospital and told her they were the greatest. But today; today it felt like they back to how it had been just after Charlie died; almost strangers looking at each other across a breakfast table. What the hell was she doing here? She flashed back to the night before…

'_Doctor Jackson?' Sara said. She had gone looking for him when he'd failed to return from the bathroom. She hadn't expected to find him in Charlie's room._

'_Oh.' Daniel put the photo back on the dresser. 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude only I saw the open door and the pictures and…' his voice trailed away and he gave a rueful smile. 'Sorry.'_

'_It's OK.' Sara wandered into the room. 'I come up here a lot just to talk to him.' There was something about the younger man that invited confidences. 'I miss him.' Her eyes filled with tears at the memory of seeing her child again that day, whole and safe. But it hadn't been Charlie; it had been some kind of alien. She still couldn't quite get her head around the concept. 'Sorry, Doctor Jackson.'_

'_Please don't apologise.' He handed her a handkerchief. 'And please, call me Daniel.'_

_She brushed the tears from her cheeks. 'You know he came up here.'_

'_The other Jack? The alien?' Daniel clarified._

'_Yes.' Sara shook her head. 'I'd never seen Jack like that. Without all of his military bravado.'_

'_Yeah, he does have a lot of that.' Daniel said smiling. 'I mean, the real Jack.'_

'_Do you think anything he said was true?' Sara said._

'_I don't know.' Daniel said folding his arms across his chest knowing she was referring to the alien who had pretended to be her husband. 'The…alien said it looked into Jack's mind. It's possible that he was truly expressing Jack's thoughts and feelings.'_

_Sara nodded, her fingers drifting over a picture of Charlie. _

'_There is one way to find out.' Daniel said._

_She turned to look at him questioningly._

_His blue eyes met hers. 'You could talk to Jack.'_

'_Daniel!' Sam's shout caught the archaeologist's attention. _

'_I should probably…' he gestured at the door._

_She nodded. She pulled herself together and headed down after him. The couple were stood by the front door. They made a striking pair; a tall, brown-haired man with glasses guarding those piercing blue eyes and a beautiful blonde woman with equally deep blue eyes and a shy smile.._

_The young Captain looked up at her. 'We'll be leaving now, Mrs O'Neill. I'm very sorry we had to take up your time and for your experience today.'_

_Sara managed a smile as Sam shook hands with her._

'_You go ahead, Sam. I just need a minute.' Daniel said to his colleague._

_Sam looked at him curiously but nodded and left him alone with Sara._

_Daniel whipped his notebook out of an inner pocket and scribbled an address. He tore the sheet out and handed it to Sara. 'It's Jack's. I don't know if you have it…' his eyes pinned hers. 'I don't know if the alien was telling you how Jack felt, all I know is that when we realised that the alien was on his way to you, Jack's only thought was for you.' He put the notebook away. 'I think that kind of says everything about how he feels. Goodbye, Mrs O'Neill.' He skipped out of the door and was gone before she could say anything else, leaving her with only the memory of a crazy day and Jack's address clutched in her hand._

'Sara?' Jack almost reached out to touch her bandaged hand but as her eyes flickered to hers, he drew back.

'I couldn't sleep last night.' She said her voice almost a whisper. 'I kept thinking about what happened.'

Jack set his mug down and rubbed at his chest where the guilt pressed heavily against his heart. 'I'm sorry you had to go through that.'

'I just…God, Jack. He looked so much like Charlie.' Her eyes were filled with tears as she raised them to his. 'So much like you.'

'It wasn't me.' Jack said quietly. 'It wasn't Charlie.'

'I know.' Sara swiped at the moisture at the corners of her eyes. 'They explained about the…alien. That's really why I'm here.'

'Oh?' Jack shifted uneasily.

Her blue eyes pinned him. 'You said you had a fair idea what the other guy said but last night I realised…' she took a deep breath, 'I want to hear it from you, Jack. You owe me that much.'

Jack knew he owed her much more. He fiddled with the handle of his mug and looked anywhere but at his wife. He sighed. 'What do you want me to say, Sara?'

'I don't know.' Sara said exasperated. 'That you're sorry. That you're angry with me for leaving. Anything.'

'Is that what he said? That I was angry at you for leaving?' Jack demanded.

'No,' Sara admitted, 'he said he…you left because _I_ was angry at _you_.'

He jerked his gaze away from her.

'Is that true?' She asked gently.

'You had a right to be angry.' Jack replied. 'It was my fault.'

'No.'

'Yes.' Jack shoved his chair back and picked up the plates. He stalked into the kitchen and threw them in the sink. He stood braced against the kitchen counter. He couldn't do this; he couldn't talk to her when it had all happened and he couldn't do it now.

'It happened in our house, Jack. It was your gun.'

Her voice drifted over to him from the doorway and he closed his eyes.

Sara swallowed hard. 'But it wasn't your fault and it wasn't the reason I was angry when you left, Jack. You shut me out. I knew you were in pain but so was I. You weren't the only one who lost Charlie. You wouldn't let me in and I needed you.'

He could hear the tears in her voice. 'I know.' He whispered.

His quiet admission took her breath away. So the alien had been telling the truth. Suddenly the rest of it didn't seem that important anymore. She went back into the dining room and picked up her handbag. When she re-entered the kitchen he was facing her, his brown eyes guarded. 'I brought you something.' She reached into the bag and brought out a baseball. Charlie's.

Jack took it from her and clutched it tightly; Charlie had loved to play catch.

'I thought…' she shrugged, 'you should have something of his here with you.'

'I don't deserve…' The words slipped out.

There was a tense silence as he retreated again.

Sara's blue gaze ran over her husband. 'Is that why you pushed me away? Is that why you didn't come after me when I left?'

Jack's eyes shot to hers. 'You wanted me to come after you?'

'Of course I wanted you to come after me.' Sara said simply. It had broken her heart when he hadn't.

He pushed a hand through his short crop of hair. 'Sara,' he sighed, 'you know I was always crap at that reading your mind stuff.'

Sara gave an unwilling laugh.

Jack leaned back against the sink and folded his arms. 'The way I was…I understood you wanting out.'

'I didn't want out.' Sara said hugging her stomach. 'But you'd already left.'

His brown eyes remained steady on hers; he couldn't argue with her. In every way that mattered he had left her long before she had left him. If the original Abydos mission had gone to plan, he wouldn't have returned at all.

'And now I really have lost you.' Sara murmured realising the truth of it as she said the words. She'd half-realised it at the hospital the day before but Daniel's words had somehow resurrected the buried hope she'd had.

'Sara…'

Sara shook her head and raised a hand as though to keep him at a distance. 'You've moved on, Jack. You have your new mission and your team. They've given you purpose again. You have another life now; one that doesn't include me.' She sighed as she remembered the sight of him the day before running toward her down a hospital corridor; shouting orders, commanding, being _Jack_.

He was surprised at how much it hurt to hear the words out loud but he knew she was right. If Charlie had still been alive, if they had still been a family he doubted that he would have ever gotten involved with the Stargate programme but Charlie was dead and their marriage was gone. The programme had become his second chance and as much as he mourned Charlie and missed Sara, he was moving one painful step at a time away from them and building a new life. He managed a half-smile. 'I still love you.'

'I still love you too.' Sara replied. She closed the distance between them and her hand cupped his rough cheek as she leaned forward to kiss him softly. 'Goodbye, Jack.'

She was gone before he could say anything, do anything else. The sound of the front door closing echoed in the silence of his kitchen. Jack held his son's baseball tightly and bowed his head as the tears streamed down his face.

o-O-o

It was just before lunch-time when the doorbell rang again. He tried to ignore it, kept his eyes resolutely on the yellow cartoon figures on his TV screen and took another sip of his beer.

It rang again more stridently.

'Dammit.' He muttered. He paused the video, put the baseball on the coffee table along with the half-finished bottle of beer and went to answer it.

He flung the door open and his eyes fell on the rest of SG1. For a moment, they all stared at each other, almost in shock. Jack's eyes drifted over the casual clothes they were all wearing and settled on Teal'c's Chicago baseball cap.

'Well, this is a surprise.' Jack said dryly.

'Hi.' Daniel said clearing his throat. 'Funny story; we were…' he struggled and his blue eyes darted to Sam.

'In the neighbourhood.' Sam said. 'Looking for apartments for Daniel.'

'Right. We were looking for apartments for me.' Daniel nodded. 'And we were driving by so…'

'Thought we'd visit.' Sam said brightly. 'If that's OK with you, sir.'

Jack was tempted to comment that their cover story needed work. He glanced from Daniel's eager face, to Carter's cautiously hopeful eyes to Teal'c.

The Jaffa held up two flat boxes. 'We brought pizza, O'Neill.'

Jack smiled crookedly. 'Well, why didn't you just say so?' He opened the door wider and let them in.


	7. The Way of the Nox

**Author's Note: **Emphasis on Daniel/Sam, Daniel/Jack and Daniel/Teal'c friendships.

**The Nox Recap: **_After complaints from the visiting Secretary of Defence that the Stargate programme is not producing results, SG1 are sent to capture a creature that can become invisible. On the planet, they run into Apophis and quickly ditch their original mission for an opportunity to capture the Goa'uld. Unfortunately, their ambush fails and most of the team are killed. However, they are healed and brought back to life by the Nox. Believing the Nox to be in need of protection especially given their pacifist ways, SG1 defends them against Apophis. However, the Nox are ultimately revealed to be more highly advanced than the Goa'uld. A chagrined SG1 is sent back through the Stargate knowing that, as the Nox intend burying their gate, they can never return and learn more. _

**The Way of the Nox**

'Are you eating that or playing with it?' Daniel Jackson asked as he slipped into the chair opposite his SG1 team-mate and set his dinner tray down on the table.

Captain Samantha Carter looked up at him and attempted a smile. 'To be honest,' she said poking at her food, 'I'm not sure what _it_ is.'

Daniel gave a sympathetic grin and started in on his own dinner. The commissary food wasn't exactly haute cuisine but it was hot, edible and probably better than anything he could produce in the kitchen of the apartment he had just rented. Of course, producing something in a kitchen meant actually keeping food there and he made a mental note that he really should visit a grocery store the next time he left the base.

Sam threw her fork down and reached for the fruit salad she'd chosen as dessert. She pushed a segment of orange onto her spoon. 'Daniel?'

'Hmmm?'

'You've been dead before right? I mean before this time with the Nox.'

Daniel slowed in shovelling the stew he had chosen into his mouth. 'Uh…yeah. I guess.' He waved his fork at her. 'I died on Ra's ship.'

Sam leaned forward. 'Is it…usual not to remember anything?'

Daniel chewed carefully and swallowed. 'What do you mean?'

The Captain gave a large sigh. 'I just…I don't remember anything.' She pointed her spoon at him. 'All I remember is getting shot, vaguely thinking 'I'm shot' and the next thing I know I'm waking up in the hut.'

'Me too.' Daniel murmured.

'What about when it happened to you before?'

'On Ra's ship?' Daniel's sight turned inward as he cast his mind back. 'I remember getting hit.' His nose wrinkled. 'I remember very clearly being surprised and the next thing I remember is waking up in the sarcophagus.'

Sam fidgeted with her spoon. 'So that it's then?'

'Pretty much.'

'No, I mean, if you didn't remember anything that time between dying and coming back and we all don't remember anything now…' Her voice trailed away.

Daniel forked up more of his dinner. He had a feeling he was going to need the energy.

'That must be it.' Sam said her blue eyes meeting his across the table almost defiantly. 'Death must be just…nothing.' She shifted in her chair and attacked her fruit salad.

Daniel watched her concentrate on eating and breathed a small sigh of relief as he dug back into his own food. Usually if Sam was trying to work something out she was like a dog with a bone and wouldn't let go until she had an acceptable answer, and despite his prior experience, he had been freaked out by their miraculous return from the dead on the mission and didn't want to think about it too much.

'I just can't believe that that's it.' Sam muttered.

Daniel's heart sank. 'Maybe it's best not to think about it.' He offered.

'You're right.' Sam nodded at him. 'You're right.'

Both of them turned back to their food.

'It's just that…' Sam began after a while.

Daniel resisted the urge to sigh heavily and instead forced himself to meet Sam's intent blue eyes. She obviously wasn't going to let it drop.

'…I've looked up some near death experiences on the internet for comparison…'

'For comparison?' Daniel checked. He almost smiled. Trust Sam to take a scientific approach to the question of whether their experience was typical or not.

'There's a lot of commonality in the reports on the internet.' Sam licked her spoon and gestured with it. 'Most people detail travelling through a tunnel, a bright light.' Her gaze dropped to her dessert. 'Relatives waiting.'

'And we didn't experience any of that?' Daniel mused thoughtfully. He shrugged. 'There are a lot of people who don't believe that those reports are accurate. A lot of scientists believe it's nothing more than a psychological side-effect of the medical treatment used to restart the heart.'

'Yeah, I read that.' Sam said. 'So you're saying that as we were brought back using completely different medical techniques that maybe that's why we didn't experience it?'

'Maybe.' Daniel frowned. 'We don't have anything like the sarcophagus and I'm not sure what the Nox did.'

'No.' Sam agreed. 'I've never seen anything like it.' She sighed. 'I know more advanced technology looks like magic but that ritual they did…'

'Just looked like magic.' Daniel concluded. He swallowed a mouthful of food. 'I'm not sure technology had much to do with it. As a species they seemed to have developed some pretty powerful mind techniques, I mean I think they learnt our language straight out of our heads and there's the whole invisibility thing.'

'Come on, Daniel,' Sam argued, 'you can't believe that was just them. There had to be some kind of technology involved.'

'Why?' Daniel asked bluntly.

'You saw their floating city, Daniel. They're obviously very technologically advanced.'

'But that doesn't mean that their abilities were all down to technology.' Daniel insisted passionately. 'Is it so unbelievable that their race just advanced their physiology to a point where they developed those abilities naturally?'

'I don't know, Daniel.' Sam said spooning up more fruit. 'It just seems unlikely to me.'

'There are a number of studies around on telepathy, telekinesis and psychic abilities…'

'But nothing that has ever been proven definitively.' Sam argued.

'Haven't you ever taken anything on faith before?' Daniel asked. He was surprised when Sam flinched as though he had struck her. 'I'm sorry.' He immediately apologised although not entirely certain what for. He tried a smile. 'I get a little carried away…'

'It's OK, Daniel.' Sam sighed and laid her spoon down. 'You're right. I don't normally take things on faith. I like having proof.'

'Normally?' Daniel focused on the word she'd used. 'So there is something you take on faith?'

She fiddled with the spoon before her blue eyes pinned his again. 'Do you believe in God?'

'I take it you mean _the _God as opposed to someone with glowing eyes and a megalomania complex?' Daniel asked.

She nodded.

Daniel pushed his food around the plate. 'I don't know. I guess I believe there's something more than,' he gestured at the mess, 'this. And I like to think someone's looking out for us.' He scanned her face. 'I wouldn't have pegged you as being religious.' It didn't seem to match the science ethos she held to so firmly.

'My mom was…' her voice trailed away abruptly again.

'Your mom?' Daniel prompted.

Sam sighed. 'She died when I was in high school.'

'I'm sorry.' Daniel said gently. 'I know what that's like.'

She looked at him questioningly.

'Oh, I lost both my parents when I was little.' Daniel said waving his fork at her.

'I'm sorry, Daniel.' She said automatically and gave him an apologetic smile.

Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose. 'So your mom was religious?'

Sam nodded. 'She insisted we go to church every Sunday and attend Sunday school.' Her face softened. 'I remember when I was little she would wait until I said my prayers before tucking me in and kissing me goodnight.' She sighed. 'When she died…I always found it comforting thinking she was in heaven looking after me.' She blushed a little. 'Silly, I know.'

'No, not at all.' Daniel said feeling as though he was on the verge of understanding what was really bothering her. His mind suddenly clicked over what she had said earlier, that people with near death experiences often saw relatives waiting. 'That's what this is about isn't it?'

She looked at him blankly.

'You thought your mom would be waiting for you when you died.' Daniel deduced.

Sam nodded slowly. 'I've always believed when I died she would be there for me.' She pulled a face. 'And now I know that's not true.'

'How do you know?' Daniel said catching her unhappy gaze.

'Well, I died and I don't remember seeing her.' Sam said.

'Exactly.' He said giving an approving nod as though she was a student who had just solved a particularly difficult problem.

Sam stared at him confused.

Daniel motioned at her with his cutlery. 'Don't you see? You don't remember.'

Her face screwed up in thought as she turned his words over in her head. 'So you think we might have had the experience of whatever happens after death, like my mom being there, but we just don't remember it?'

'Maybe.' Daniel said. 'I don't know. Maybe there is no life after death or maybe there is and having your memory of it erased is part of the price of being brought back.'

'I think I like the last theory better.' Sam said thoughtfully.

Daniel leaned in conspiratorially. 'Me too.'

Sam smiled suddenly. 'Thanks, Daniel.' She pulled a face. 'I guess dying freaked me out more than I thought it would.'

'I think it freaked General Hammond out too when we raised it in the debriefing.' Daniel commented.

'What freaked General Hammond out?' Jack O'Neill slid his tray on the table and sat down next to Sam as the fourth member of SG1, Teal'c, took the seat next to Daniel.

'Us dying.' Daniel said determinedly stuffing another forkful of food in his mouth.

'Ah.' Jack nodded sagely. The General had turned a peculiar shade of red at that particular point of the debrief.

'You have to admit the whole mission was a little bizarre from the General's point of view.' Sam commented gesturing. 'A disappearing Stargate, Apophis, us dying and being brought back from the dead, the Nox…'

'Don't forget the flying city, Captain.' Jack said nudging her, his brown eyes twinkling.

'No, sir.' She couldn't repress the smile that tugged at her lips in response to the childlike glee in his voice.

'It was floating, not flying.' Daniel contradicted him.

'Flying, Daniel.' Jack insisted.

'Floating.' Daniel said stressing both syllables.

'It was flying.' Jack turned to the young Air Force Captain sat beside him. 'You'll back me up on this won't you Carter?'

Sam looked from the Colonel's expectant face to Daniel's beseeching blue eyes and back again. 'I think…' she slipped out of her chair, 'I should make a start on that report on the personal force shield Apophis was using.' She said quickly. 'Bye.'

'Hey!' Jack called after her as she hurried away. He made a face and turned back to his food. 'I still say it was flying.'

Daniel sighed. 'I don't think it matters.' He admitted. 'It's not like we can go back and check.'

Jack heard the forlorn note in the younger man's voice and winced. Their experience with the Nox hadn't exactly been a sterling success. The deceptive image of the petite and curious looking forest dwellers had led them to believe that the Nox were helpless. There was nothing that indicated that they were technologically advanced. 'There was no way we could have known, Daniel.'

'I know.' Daniel put his cutlery down and reached for his mug of coffee. 'I just wish…'

'I know.' Jack said. 'Still, it's like you said in the debriefing it's good that we know they are more highly advanced races than the Goa'uld out there.' He gestured. 'Next time, we just have to find a way not to…' he struggled to find the right words.

'Piss them off?' Daniel suggested.

'Language, Daniel.' Jack chided him. 'And yes, next time we have to find a way not to piss them off.' He caught Teal'c's raised inquisitive eyebrow. 'Annoy them, anger them, make them mad at us.'

'I see.' Teal'c said returning his attention to his food.

'I don't think they were annoyed at us. Not really.' Daniel said taking a gulp of his drink. 'More like they just thought we were too…too…'

'Young?' Jack said delicately.

'Young,' echoed Daniel miserably. 'You know I think you were right.'

'You do? I was?' Jack said surprised. 'When?'

'Your statement to the Secretary.' Daniel murmured by way of explanation.

Jack blinked at him. 'Exactly which statement was that again?'

'I believe Daniel Jackson is referring to the one where you pointed out that races with technology more advanced than your own do not like to share, O'Neill.' Teal'c said.

'Oh.' Jack sat back in his chair. 'That statement.'

Daniel pushed a hand through his brown hair. 'I mean, if you take the Nox as an example, obviously that level of advancement came with some enlightenment about the universe. I think it's very likely that advanced races won't want to share what they have with us because they'll consider us too warlike, or primitive even, or too…too…young, and if they do want to share with us, what will that say about their ethics and values?' His blue eyes darted from Teal'c to Jack. 'Will we want to ally ourselves with races who would disregard that?'

'If it means getting our hands on a great, big, honking space gun, I've voting yes, Daniel.' Jack said scraping his plate clean.

'Didn't you learn anything from the Nox?' Daniel asked exasperated.

'Not to judge a book by its cover.' Jack shot back. 'Don't make assumptions.' He gestured with his knife. 'And all other first impression clichés.'

'How about the very young do not always do what they're told?'

'Which relates to this, how?'

'Jack…'

'Daniel.'

Teal'c stood up effectively ending the argument as the attention of both men diverted to their friend.

'You OK, Teal'c?' Jack asked concerned.

'I believe I need further rest to allow my symbiote to fully heal the wound I sustained on the planet, O'Neill.'

'Well, Doc Fraiser did say you should take it easy.' Jack agreed.

'I will return to my quarters.' Teal'c bowed and departed before Jack could reply.

'Has he seemed a little quiet to you since we came back?' Daniel asked.

Jack shrugged. Teal'c was a quiet guy but maybe he had seemed a little more subdued than usual. 'It can't have been easy for him running into Apophis again,' he said thinking out loud, 'and there was all that business with that Jaffa Shickel.'

'Shak'l.' Daniel corrected.

'Him.' Jack agreed.

'I guess.' Daniel mused. His brow furrowed. 'He doesn't talk much about his life before on Chulak.'

'Would you?' Jack held up a hand as Daniel opened his mouth to reply. 'Don't answer that.' He waited until Daniel subsided before continuing. 'Teal'c's just not the talkative type, Daniel.'

Daniel sighed. 'I guess you're right.' He sat back.

Jack nodded and reached for the cake he had chosen for dessert. He had taken two bites when he realised that Daniel hadn't spoken again and he looked over at the archaeologist suspiciously. 'What?'

'I was just wondering if Apophis said anything to Teal'c when we were all dead.'

Jack shuddered. 'Would you mind not saying that?' He gestured with his fork and sent a piece of cake flying across the table to land in the middle of Daniel's stew.

Daniel ignored the cake and smiled in amusement at Jack. 'What? About our being dead?'

'Yeah.' Jack said. 'That.' He squirmed in his chair. 'It just freaks me out.'

Daniel blinked in surprise. It wasn't often Jack admitted to a weakness. 'Well, you're not the only one.'

'Carter's freaked out too, huh?' Jack frowned remembering the conversation he'd interrupted when he'd sat down.

'And me.' Daniel said.

'You?' Jack said taken aback.

'Why are you so surprised?' Daniel demanded.

'Well, you have been through this before.' Jack noted.

'Once before.' Daniel said defensively.

'Twice now and that's twice more than most people.' Jack pointed out.

'I don't think that makes me an expert on coming back from the dead.' Daniel grumbled folding his arms across his chest. 'I don't intend to make a habit of it.'

Jack shrugged easily. 'I'd rather not think about it.' His tone had a note of finality.

Daniel nodded fervently. He reached for his mug and realised it was empty. He sighed. 'I guess I should get back to work.'

Jack looked at the last bite of cake sitting in Daniel's stew and contemplated rescuing it before he threw his fork down. 'I'm done too.'

The two men separated at the door of the commissary. Jack headed off down the corridor to take the stairs and Daniel took the elevator intending to head to his office and start work on an idea that was playing in his head. If the Goa'uld were advanced enough to visit Earth in the past, he thought, and there were other races out there more advanced than the Goa'uld…it was just possible that they might have visited Earth too. There was a lot of 'Gods' in the history of the planet and a staggering amount of mythology around. If he did a systematic search he might just uncover something.

Daniel's footsteps slowed as he realised he'd been so deep in thought that he had somehow gotten off the elevator at the wrong level. He stopped and got his bearings. He was right outside Teal'c's quarters. He frowned and sighed. Obviously his subconscious had directed him to where it wanted to go. He hesitated for a moment. Nobody had seen him; the corridor was empty. He could leave and nobody would know that he had been there. He sighed and thrust a hand through the long strands of his hair. He took the two remaining steps to the door and knocked.

Teal'c opened it and blinked. 'Daniel Jackson.'

'Teal'c.' Daniel shuffled awkwardly. 'Can I come in?'

Teal'c stepped back and Daniel hastened into the small room. He stopped entranced at the sight of so many lit candles.

'I'm sorry,' he said gesturing at the semi-circle on the floor, 'am I interrupting something?'

'I was about to perform a deep meditation to allow my symbiote to heal my body more effectively.' Teal'c explained.

'Oh.' Daniel glanced at the semi-circle of candles and realised that he had interrupted. 'I won't keep you from…' he motioned at the candles, 'I was just curious about something.' His blue eyes met Teal'c's in the flickering candlelight. 'After we…uh…died…did you speak with Apophis at all?'

Teal'c straightened and his face became grave. 'I did.'

'I don't suppose he happened to mention Sha're?' Daniel asked refusing to acknowledge the small ball of hope in the pit of his stomach.

Teal'c's mind flew back to the moment in the forest; Apophis had stood in front of him his gold armour glistening and his dark eyes glaring at him with contempt. 'He did not.' The Jaffa said with regret.

Daniel attempted a smile and failed. He wrapped his arms around his torso. 'I figured he probably hadn't but…I just…I thought…I'd check, just in…' his throat closed on the words.

'I am sorry, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c said softly. 'I had hoped our plan to capture Apophis would provide you with valuable information regarding the fate of Sha're.'

Daniel waved a hand at him and ignored the sudden press of tears against the back of his eyes. 'It's not your fault, Teal'c.' He took a moment to collect himself. 'I'd better leave you to your meditation.' He took a step towards the door and turned back suddenly. 'What _did_ Apophis say to you?'

Teal'c stiffened imperceptibly and stared at a point on the far wall. 'He called me shol'var.'

Daniel frowned; he didn't recognise the word.

Teal'c glanced over and saw the confusion on the linguist's face.

'Traitor.' Teal'c clarified.

'And what did you say to him?' Daniel asked curious.

Teal'c's dark eyes snapped to his. 'I told him I would die free.'

'Oh.' Daniel's quick mind painted the scene of the Jaffa, alone in a field of fallen team-mates, faced off against a parasitic alien that had once been a God to him and prepared to die. He wondered if he would have had the courage to face Apophis in Teal'c's place. He gave an embarrassed smile as he realised he'd remained silent for too long. 'I guess it was a short conversation.'

'Indeed.' Teal'c murmured.

Daniel pointed at the door. 'Well, I'll just…' his hand grasped the handle. 'Teal'c.' He whirled back around to face the Jaffa. 'I don't think I've ever said thank you.'

'For what, Daniel Jackson?' Teal'c asked puzzled.

'For saving our lives on Chulak.' Daniel said. 'For joining us in fighting Apophis.' He paused. 'For helping me try to find Sha're.'

Teal'c couldn't speak. He wasn't sure he would ever find the words to reply to the younger man or understand the generosity of spirit that had led to the sudden declaration.

'So…just in case I die again sometime in the near future,' Daniel gave another nervous smile, 'thank you.' He pushed his glasses back up his nose.

Teal'c bowed his head.

Daniel nodded jerkily and left. He closed the door firmly behind him and set back off towards the elevator. His heart felt lighter than it had in a long time. He had a strange feeling that the Nox would be proud of him and he knew without a doubt that somewhere, somehow, Sha're would be proud of him too.


	8. Rule Number One

**Author's Note: **Jack/Team friendship. Jack/Hammond friendship. Mild references to adult situations.

**Brief Candle Recap:** _A drugged Jack unwittingly consummates a 'marriage' to a native girl on the planet Argos and contracts nanocytes that artificially begin to age him. When Sam and Janet are unable to find a cure, Jack is left alone on Argos. Luckily, at his urging, the townspeople rebel against their False God and destroy the statue in the main temple, revealing the solution to stopping the nanocytes. Jack is able to return home having realised that he should treasure each day of his life._

**Rule Number One**

There was a part of Colonel Jack O'Neill that knew it was a nightmare, a part of him that even understood why it was that particular nightmare and not some other. Iraq was hot and dry; he could feel the heat of the air against his skin, the sweat dripping from his hair and down his face as he ran. He could hear the harsh pants of his own body, the wheezing breaths of the men running beside him, the thuds of their boots on the dusty ground. He slid behind a wall and provided cover for the rest to reach the waiting helicopter. He rattled off a final burst from his gun and then he was on his feet running full pelt. The sting of the first bullet barely slowed him; the second slammed through him like a truck. His breath left his body as he hit the ground, arms and legs sprawled. He fought against the wave of blackness and tried to move; he got worried when he couldn't. The helicopter was rising. Panic filled him. They couldn't be leaving him…nobody got left behind; nobody. His eyes fluttered shut as the dust rose and washed over him…

Jack jerked awake and upright with a start, his heart pounding and his breath caught in his throat. He stared unseeingly at the small room before he took a deep breath and stuffed the heels of his shaking hands in his eyes. It wasn't an Iraqi cell, he thought determinedly, just his temporary quarters at the SGC where General Hammond had confined him until he recovered from the premature aging caused by the Argosian nanocytes.

'Sir?'

Jack froze at the melodic voice of Captain Samantha Carter. He had forgotten he wasn't alone. When he had fallen asleep the small space had been crammed with his three SG1 team-mates. He felt the air by the bed stir and he slowly lowered his liver-spotted hands to blink wearily at the young blonde woman beside him. She offered him a glass of water and he took it gratefully.

'Sorry, Carter.' He croaked. 'Bad dream.'

Sam gave a sympathetic smile. 'Is there anything else I can get you, sir?'

Jack shook his head and settled back against the pillows.

'I'll just get back to my report then.' Sam said and headed back to the desk on the other side of the room where a single lamp cast a yellow glow over her laptop. She repressed the urge to ask about the Colonel's nightmare. He was a private man and she doubted whether he would appreciate her curiosity. It really wasn't any wonder he was having nightmares, Sam thought as she started to type. Less than twenty-four hours before, the Colonel had been alone on an alien planet believing he only had days to live because of the aging effects of the nanocytes.

'Where's Daniel and Teal'c?' Jack asked.

'I took first watch, sir.' Sam replied absently.

Jack almost smiled. His team hadn't left his side since his return from Argos ensuring that he wasn't alone and that he had help in his debilitated elderly condition. He didn't mind. He had sent his team back to Earth soon after contracting the nanocytes to protect them and General Hammond had refused to let them return for the same reason. Jack couldn't blame his CO but he had missed his team and the thought of never seeing them again had been more gut-wrenching than he had anticipated. He had managed in the confusion of returning to hold onto the video message they had sent to say goodbye, not wanting to part with it. It turned out he was going to be a sentimental old man and the thought amused him.

His eyes flickered back to the woman sitting at the desk. He could only see the outline of her back in the black top, a short expanse of creamy neck and her blonde hair but he was, he realised abstractedly, simply content to watch her. He frowned at the thought before pushing it to the back of his mind. It was probably just down to his gratitude at how Sam had constantly supported him through everything that had happened on Argos but…

He cleared his throat. 'You don't need to baby-sit me, Captain. I'll be fine.'

Sam smiled. 'Doctor's orders, Colonel, remember?' She said smoothly before she glanced over her shoulder. 'Doctor Fraiser only agreed to you remaining in your quarters and not being admitted to the infirmary if someone stayed with you.'

'Right.' Jack grimaced, the vague memory of the petite doctor's conditions coming back to him slowly. He took another drink of water before placing the glass on the bedside table. 'So you got stuck with first watch?' He asked idly.

'I volunteered.' Sam admitted and gestured hurriedly at her laptop. 'I wanted to finish this.' She hoped he would accept her excuse without question. SG1 had formed a close knit bond and they all cared about each other but how much she cared about the Colonel had been something of a surprise to her and it was something she wasn't prepared to examine too closely. Just like she wasn't prepared to examine the tiny dart of jealousy that went through her every time she remembered the woman the Colonel had become involved with on Argos. She turned back to the laptop determinedly. She wasn't developing a crush on her CO, she thought firmly; she wasn't. She respected him; nothing more, nothing less.

'What's the report about?' Jack asked capturing her attention again.

'The nanocytes.' Sam explained looking back at him. 'I've been going back through the initial analysis Doctor Fraiser and I did and re-examining the data in light of what we now know about the transmitter frequencies. It's fascinating really…'

'I'll take your word for it, Carter.' Jack cut in abruptly. 'All I'm interested in is knowing when I'll be back to normal.'

She heard the unasked question and knew he needed the reassurance even though she had told him a couple of times already. 'Well, as we think you've been aged to around ninety years old, we're estimating you'll be back to your forty year old body in around eight days, sir.'

'Eight days.' Jack repeated.

'Yes, sir.' Sam registered the sleepy tone. 'You should get some rest, sir. Your body will heal faster if you sleep.'

'I might just do that.' Jack said adjusting his position until he was lying comfortably. He sighed and let his eyes drift shut. It was nice to hear the concern in her voice, he mused. It was much better than the disappointment he had heard after his unfortunate escapade on Argos. He felt the flush travel up his neck and over his whole face. Unfortunate escapade. It was how he had come to mentally label the whole incident with Kynthia and the Argosian nanocytes. Kynthia. The image of the lovely young Argosian drifted into his head. He'd noticed her as soon as they had sat down in the village. It was hard not to; even on a planet of beautiful people, she was a stunning woman. But a fleeting attraction was only a fleeting attraction. He would never have had sex with her if he hadn't been under the influence of some fairly hefty drugs. When they had worn off he had found himself naked in a bed with her in a communal hall wondering how the hell he had gotten there.

The worst moment had been the rest of his team discovering him in a state of undress minutes later and jumping to all the right conclusions. Their varying levels of disappointment in him had been evident and he had barely been able to look at them. It had only been with the realisation that the cake had been drugged that their disappointment had been swiftly replaced by worry. He rubbed a hand over his face as though that would erase his deeply embedded embarrassment. Rations; they were all going to stick with field rations off world going forward, Jack determined. No more cake, especially no more marriage cake.

Poor Kynthia. She had offered him the cake in good faith believing Jack understood its effects and its significance; marriage. In theory he still was married to Sara although he had begun to think of her as his ex-wife since her visit to his house the day after their encounter with the alien who had mimicked him and their late son. Their lawyers were immersed in the divorce proceedings Sara had initiated. It was for the best, Jack thought sadly. He'd had plenty of time on Argos to contemplate his life and his failed marriage. He still loved and missed Sara; she had been a significant part of his life for far too long for him not to but the divorce was the right thing to do.

Thankfully no divorce had been required to get him out of his relationship with Kynthia. She had made no further claims on him having realised that Jack considered their initial encounter a mistake. It had been a relief. She was a sweet woman and he had grown fond of her but that was as far as his interest went. She had reminded him how important it was to make the most of every day though. Not that he could make the most of every day stuck in a room in a secret military complex hidden under a mountain. At least he had his team.

He felt the pull to sleep and didn't fight it. Doctor Fraiser had explained that his body was slowly transforming back to normal and that he would feel fatigue as his muscles, skin and hair transitioned. His body was undergoing a significant change for the second time within the space of a few weeks and that was taking its toll. The hypnotic rhythm of typing filled his thoughts as sleep claimed him again.

o-O-o

Doctor Fraiser tapped lightly at the door and smiled at the Colonel's call to enter. After three days of recovery, his voice was starting to regain its normal tonal quality which was a good sign. She entered and stopped amused to find the whole of SG1 present again. The room was small at the best of times but filled with three humans and a Jaffa it felt more than a little cramped. Still, after three days, SG1 had found a way to make the space work for them.

Daniel Jackson had taken position on the floor to the right of the bed. He was currently lying on his stomach, his chin propped up on his hands with his brown hair falling forward to shield his face as his nose was stuck in a book. There were a dozen photocopied and printed articles strewn around him along with several reference books. Janet had asked him what he was working on and had been fascinated by his explanation that he was trying to discover whether the Goa'uld were the only aliens to have visited Earth.

She let her brown eyes slide to the other side of the room. Teal'c had claimed the floor space on the left side of the bed. The Jaffa sat in a lotus position and surrounded by a dozen lit candles. He was totally still and his dark eyes had snapped open at her entry. Janet breathed in the faint scent of vanilla wafting up from the burning candles and felt strangely comforted by it. Her mind absently recalled that her mother used the same type of candles in her childhood home.

She smiled at Captain Carter who sat at her desk typing away on her laptop. She had enjoyed working with the other Air Force officer on the nanocytes despite the circumstances.

The Colonel had prime position atop the single bed and he greeted her as he slowly moved into a sitting position.

'Colonel.' Janet acknowledged. 'If everybody else can wait outside, please.'

The other members of SG1 got to their feet reluctantly, Teal'c extinguishing the candles.

'Why don't you kids head to the mess for a snack?' Jack suggested.

'You're only suggesting that so we bring you a piece of cake back.' Daniel said.

'And your point is, Daniel?' Jack retorted waving them out of the room.

'So how are you feeling today?' Janet asked once they had left. She knew she could have ordered him to the infirmary but it was easier to come to his quarters and when he'd first arrived back it had been a necessity. With his long white hair, liver-spotted and wrinkled skin and general air of fragility, it had been hard to believe that Colonel O'Neill would ever return to his forty year old body. But Captain Carter's hypothesis was proving to be correct and Janet could see the strength returning to his muscles in the way he stood, the elasticity returning to his skin and there was a new growth of hair sprouting to replace the white hair he had lost suddenly the day before.

'I'm good.' Jack replied automatically as she shone a penlight in his eyes. 'I'd like more hair.'

Janet smiled at the quip. 'Any fever or dizziness?' She asked.

He shook his head and she scribbled on the medical file she had brought with her. She gestured for him to sit and took readings of his vitals – temperature, blood pressure, pulse – pausing to note the results in the file before she capped her pen and viewed him with a practised eye.

'How's the tiredness?' Janet asked.

'About the same.' Jack said dismissively. He was sleeping most of the time; fatigue would steal up on him at odd moments.

'Sleep is the best thing for you.' Janet reminded him. 'Your body will heal faster.' She sat down in the chair the Captain had vacated. 'And how are you otherwise?' She probed gently.

Jack looked blankly at her.

'How are you feeling about things?' Janet clarified. It was the first time she had asked him about his emotional well-being. Her primary concern for the past few days had been to stabilise him physically and as all his vitals showed a marked improvement she figured it was time to address the psychological impact of what had happened.

Jack stiffened. 'I'm fine.' He repeated strongly.

Janet hesitated at the faint warning in his brown eyes but she knew they were going to have to discuss the Colonel's experience sooner or later and it was probably best to tackle it head on. 'Colonel, there are various aspects of your experience that I think it's important you talk about…'

'Why?' Jack demanded angrily. He waved a hand at the petite brunette. 'I told you I'm fine.'

'Sir, you had non-consensual sex,' Janet said bluntly, 'and that needs to be addressed.'

There was an uncomfortable silence as they both stared at each other.

'Sir,' Janet softened her tone, 'if you feel uncomfortable talking to me, we do have a good psychiatrist on staff now…'

'I don't need a shrink.' Jack cut in rudely as he got to his feet and paced a little. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his trousers and stood with his back to her facing a wall for a long moment gathering his thoughts. He had a sinking sensation that if he didn't talk to Fraiser she would recommend a psych evaluation and having been through them before he wasn't eager to repeat the experience.

Janet waited patiently.

He turned back to her and met her eyes calmly. 'Look, Doc,' he gestured at her, 'I know how it looks on paper…'

'How does it look on paper?' She challenged him.

'That I had,' he gestured awkwardly, 'non-consensual sex.' He mumbled. He forced himself to hold her gaze firmly. 'Only that's not what happened.'

Then why don't you tell me what happened?' Janet said softly.

Jack rocked back on his heels and considered his response. 'The whole thing was just a giant misunderstanding.'

She continued to regard him with an even stare.

He sighed and sat back down on the bed. He clasped his hands together and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. 'Kynthia's just incapable of doing something to intentionally hurt someone else. She offered me the cake thinking I knew what it was.'

'And presumably its effects?' Janet murmured.

'To be honest, Doc, I don't think any of the Argosians even realise what is in that cake.' Jack waved a hand at her. 'Carter told me they made it using the same recipe that had been passed down from generation to generation since old Pelyops was around. To them it was just cake that made them feel good.'

Janet frowned. From what she had heard about the situation on Argos it made sense. The nanocytes had apparently accelerated the emotional maturity of the villagers somewhat but not at the normal rate for a human adult. There probably had been a need to introduce a chemical stimulant to ensure procreation and Pelyops had possibly created the cake to ensure villagers who were attracted to each other weren't constrained by any inhibitions. Her dark eyes pinned the Colonel again. 'So you're saying that as far as the Argosians were concerned, by eating the cake you had consented, Kynthia included and that's how you now view the incident?'

Jack fought the urge to blush. 'Truth is, Doc, that I should never have eaten the damn cake.' He gestured at her. 'Are we done?'

'For today.' Janet agreed. She was reasonably happy from their discussion that despite his evident embarrassment he had come to terms with his experience and she doubted whether he would reveal anything further either to her or the new psychiatrist. 'We'll do another check on your physical condition tomorrow.' She stood up. 'Colonel, have you discussed any of this with your team?'

'No.' Jack stated firmly and with the tone of someone who couldn't believe they had just been asked the question.

'Why not?' Janet asked.

'Why not?' Jack repeated, raising his eyebrows. 'Because.' He gestured weakly.

'Because?' Janet prompted. 'You know your team was affected by what happened too, Colonel. A frank discussion might help everyone.' She left before Jack could formulate a reply.

He climbed back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Did he need to talk about Argos with the team? He pondered the question until a hesitant knock interrupted his introspection.

Daniel wandered in at Jack's call to enter and he handed the older man a plate with a slice of cake and a fork. 'This is all they had.'

'Thanks.' Jack took the food as Daniel gathered a book from the floor and settled into the chair. 'Where's Carter and Teal'c?'

'Teal'c went to do a work-out.' Daniel responded absently. 'Sam got caught by the gate technicians. There's some problem with the dialling computer. She's crawling under desks in the control room.'

Jack looked at the cake and set it aside on the bedside table.

'Everything OK?' Daniel asked concerned.

Jack nodded and shuffled to lie on the bed. He propped himself up with a couple of pillows. 'I'm fine. Just a little tired.'

Daniel opened the book on the Vikings he held. 'I'll just sit here and read if you want to nap.'

There was a comfortable silence for a little while as Daniel read and Jack continued to turn over his conversation with Janet in his head.

Jack cleared his throat. 'Fraiser thinks I should discuss what happened on Argos with you guys.'

Daniel's head snapped up and his blue eyes met Jack's across the small room. 'Really?'

Jack nodded.

Daniel shifted in the chair. 'And what do you think?'

'Do you think as a team we need to discuss what happened on Argos?' Jack countered.

Daniel closed the book. 'I asked you first.'

'Daniel.' Jack glared at the younger man.

He sighed. 'I think we all kind of figured you wouldn't want to discuss it.'

'I don't.' Jack admitted. 'But we're not just talking about what's right for me. If the team needs to talk about it then we'll talk about it.'

Daniel smiled at the determination on Jack's face despite his obvious discomfort at the idea. 'I don't think we _need _to talk about it.' He shrugged. 'We're just happy to have you back. None of us liked leaving you on Argos.'

'You were all following orders, Daniel, mine included. I understood.' Jack murmured.

'I think it was worse because we all kind of felt a little responsible.' Daniel muttered.

'Why?' Jack asked, the single word ringing with surprise.

'Because we allowed the Argosians to separate you from us.' Daniel said. 'Because we saw you disappear with Kynthia and didn't do anything.'

Jack felt the blush work its way across his face. 'Because you thought I was…'

'No!' Daniel broke in hurriedly. 'I mean obviously we all saw that you liked her and that she liked you,' he fiddled with his glasses nervously, 'but we didn't think you were,' he gestured vaguely and didn't meet Jack's eyes, 'not until we found you,' he looked up, 'uh…naked.'

'I wasn't naked.' Jack automatically denied.

'I don't think a bed sheet counts as being dressed.' Daniel said pointedly.

Jack blushed furiously. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to discuss it with anyone.

There was another silence.

Daniel sighed. 'Look, Jack, if you want to talk about what happened then we'll talk about it but if you're OK, we're all OK.'

'Really?' Jack asked.

'Really.' Daniel assured him. He motioned with his book. 'Can I get back to this?'

'Sure.' Jack removed one of his pillows and curled up on the bed feeling the tiredness creeping up on him again. He settled against the one remaining pillow. 'Thanks, Daniel.'

'No problem.'

o-O-o

Jack came awake abruptly and he frowned trying to understand what had disturbed him. For the first time in six days, he was alone in the room. Hammond had seemingly organised a series of briefings for a group of new SGC staff arrivals all at the same time. Daniel was teaching the new linguists Goa'uld, Teal'c was giving a staff weapon demonstration to the new SFs and Carter was briefing a group of scientists on wormhole physics.

Jack slipped off the bed and stretched. His body was almost back to normal. Teal'c had been taking him through a punishing exercise regime every morning and his muscles ached but they were back to their pre-Argos strength. He rubbed a hand over his face, pleased to find the contours back in a familiar pattern. His hand continued on and brushed over his short crop of hair. It was completely grey but Carter had assured him his usual brown colour would blend back in within the next couple of days. Physically it was the only part of him left to change back.

A knock at his door startled him and he called out for his visitor to enter.

General Hammond strode in and paused beside the open doorway. 'Colonel.'

'General.' Jack made to stand to attention.

'At ease, Colonel.' Hammond said and shut the door behind him quickly. 'I just wanted to officially let you know you've been cleared to leave your quarters.'

Jack broke into a smile. 'Great. Thank you, General.'

'I should thank Doctor Fraiser and Captain Carter. They were both very eloquent in their attempt to convince me the nanocytes that were affecting you are no longer a threat.'

'Yes, sir.' Jack made a mental note to thank both women.

'You are still confined to the base and its immediate vicinity, and I haven't authorised your return to duty yet.' Hammond clarified.

'I understand, sir.' Jack said.

'Good, good.' Hammond said almost absently. He gestured at the chair by the desk. 'May I sit down for a moment, Colonel?'

Jack nodded. 'Of course, sir.'

'Why don't you take a seat too, Jack?' Hammond indicated the bed with a wave of his hand.

Jack walked round to sit at the foot of the bed in front of Hammond. He always got worried when the General called him Jack. It was never a good sign.

'Jack,' Hammond began leaning forward his blue eyes intent on the Colonel's, 'I wanted to explain about leaving you on Argos.'

'Sir…' Jack tried to interrupt and his heart sank as Hammond held up a hand; the General was obviously committed to saying what he had come to say.

'My decision regarding your situation was not an easy one for me to make. I still believe it was the right one but right or not…'

'Sir, it was the right decision.' Jack interrupted.

Hammond looked back at him nonplussed.

Jack sighed. He obviously wasn't following whatever script Hammond had created in his head. 'General, I take it you know I got left behind one time in Iraq.'

'Yes. I know.' Hammond's blue eyes held his firmly.

'Even knowing what it's like to be left behind, General, I still would have made the same decision in your place.' Jack waved a hand. 'We couldn't risk the nanocytes getting loose and adapting. I wouldn't risk Earth that way.'

Hammond gave a small huff of agreement and shook his head. 'I hate leaving people behind.'

'Me too.' Jack agreed.

'Let's make it a rule that we don't do that too often.' Hammond said forcefully. 'We shouldn't leave our people behind.'

'I think that's one rule I can live with, sir.' Jack smiled.

'I think it's one your team will no doubt support too.' Hammond said remembering the strength of their protests and complaints when his order had condemned O'Neill to remain on Argos alone. He was also aware that they had hardly moved from Jack's side since his return. It spoke of the strong bond that had already grown between them all and one that pleased him enormously. He slapped his knees and stood up. 'I'd better get back to the gate room. It's good to see you looking like your old self, Jack.' He had doubted Captain Carter's insistence that the Colonel would return to his forty year old appearance when he had greeted the frail old man who had stepped out of the wormhole. His eyes ran over Jack's hair in amusement. 'You might want to keep the grey. It looks good on you.'

Jack ran a hand through the strands self-consciously as he rose from the bed. 'According to Carter, in another couple of years I'll have it for real.'

The General raised his eyebrows a little at the mortified tone. 'Just be grateful you'll have hair, Colonel.'

'Yes, General.' Jack said struggling to keep the grin off his face.

Hammond opened the door and almost ran straight into the rest of the Colonel's team in the corridor. He smiled at them. 'Carry on, SG1.' He murmured gently before he left them.

Jack beckoned his team into the room.

Daniel smiled and folded his arms across his chest. 'We hear you've got permission to leave your room.'

'Yes. Finally.' Jack grinned at the archaeologist before his warm gaze settled on Sam standing next to him. 'Carter, I hear I owe you a thank you.'

Sam smiled. 'Doctor Fraiser helped, sir.'

'And I'll thank her later.' Jack said.

'So what do you want to do?' Daniel asked.

Jack's brown eyes shifted to the Jaffa. 'Teal'c, have you seen a sunset on Earth yet?'

Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back. 'I have not.'

'Then I think we should all head up to the top of the mountain and do that.' Jack said.

'Are you actually allowed off base?' Daniel asked worriedly.

'The Colonel's restricted to the base and its immediate vicinity.' Sam confirmed before Jack could speak. 'We should be fine up top.'

'Great.' Jack said motioning them out of the room. 'Then let's go.'

It seemed to take them no time at all before they were all stretched out on the grass on top of the mountain watching the sunset in a comfortable silence.

Jack breathed in a lungful of clean mountain air and let the breeze wash over his face. It was good to be outdoors. He looked over at Teal'c who was watching the darkening sky with a fierce concentration and Daniel who was cleaning his glasses with a tissue as his blue eyes stared at the descending sun. Sam shifted on the other side of Jack and he angled his head to look at her briefly. Her face was lifted to the sun, her blue eyes closed as she caught the last of the sun's warmth on her skin. Jack turned his attention back to the sky before she noticed his regard.

The sun was almost down when Jack cleared his throat. 'Hammond and I have agreed a new rule for the SGC.'

All of his team turned to look at him.

'Don't allow people to get separated on missions?' Daniel hazarded a guessed.

'Undoable.' Sam argued. 'It's more likely that we stick with rations until we find out the effects of the native food.'

'I agree with Captain Carter.' Teal'c confirmed in a deep voice.

'Well, you're all wrong.' Jack said with a smile.

'So what is it?' Daniel asked impatiently.

'We've decided that as a general rule, we won't leave our people behind.' Jack informed them.

'I think that's a good rule.' Sam concurred smiling across at the Colonel.

'I like that rule.' Daniel said with a nod.

'As do I.' Teal'c said inclining his head.

'So we're agreed.' Jack said. 'From now on; nobody gets left behind.'

'Nobody gets left behind.' Daniel and Sam echoed as Teal'c confirmed his agreement with a sharp nod.

Jack shifted position on the grass satisfied. His team would never leave him behind willingly and as the sky turned a hazy orange-purple, he made a silent promise to each of them that they would never experience what he had in Iraq; they would never see him leaving them behind, not if it was humanly possible to get them home. A sense of peace settled over Jack like a warm blanket and he lifted his own face to the dying rays of the sun. It was a rule he could live with for thousands of days.


	9. Acceptance

**Author's Note: **Jack/Daniel friendship.

**Thor's Hammer Recap:** _A trip to Cimmeria results in Jack and Teal'c being trapped in an underground labyrinth with a powerful beast called an Unas. They find their way out, fighting and killing the Unas along the way but the only exit will destroy the Goa'uld Teal'c carries and so kill Teal'c too. Meanwhile, Daniel and Sam find their way to the exit of the labyrinth guided by a former Goa'uld host Kendra. The doorway can only be destroyed from the outside by the staff weapon. At Jack's insistence, Daniel fires the weapon destroying the machine to save Teal'c even though it could be the only way to save Skaara and Sha're._

**Acceptance**

Daniel Jackson pulled the blanket back over his head and let the hot tears slide down his cheeks and onto the pillow. He didn't make a sound just lay there and cried silently in the dark of his bedroom. It didn't occur to him that his stillness and the quiet were unnatural. His childhood had honed his crying technique; a geeky child grieving for his parents was an easy target for bullies. No, better that no-one knew how sensitive he was or how much pain he was in, even now he was an adult and was alone in his own apartment, in his own bedroom where he had crawled fully clothed into his bed as soon as he had arrived home. He closed his eyes and another scalding set of tears tracked their way down his face.

It had been a bad day.

Understatement, thought Daniel as he pressed his face into the bedding. It had been a truly rotten day. It had hit him in the middle of the debriefing about their visit to Cimmeria just how rotten it had been and it had sent him scurrying from the SGC early for the first time since the Stargate programme had been up and running. He had simply filed his mission report and fled. It had begun so well, he mused absently, the tears soaking the cotton under his head. For the previous two weeks Jack O'Neill had been confined to base until his appearance was back to normal after the whole Argosian nanocyte thing and while Daniel had felt for the older man, the time to research had been a Godsend – literally. He had delved into every mythology and legend of the world and had been struck by the stories of the Norse Gods. He had made an intuitive leap that they were friendly Gods, enemies of the Goa'uld – and he'd been right. Teal'c's confirmation that the Goa'uld had forbidden travel to a planet with the mark of Thor's hammer had made it all worthwhile and to get the opportunity to travel to the planet in question had been the icing on the cake.

Of course, that was when it had all gone wrong. They couldn't have known that the hammer was an actual protective device that guarded the planet's Stargate from the Goa'uld. When the blue beam had zapped Teal'c and Jack, who had tried to push the Jaffa out of it, for a horrifying moment Daniel had thought they had been killed; all the stories indicated that the hammer was a weapon. Captain Carter hadn't been so quick to jump to that conclusion, Daniel thought, his tears abating as his mind travelled over the events of the mission. Sam had stuck fast to the notion that their two team-mates were simply missing and the arrival of Gairwyn with her story of Kendra had backed up Sam's proposition that Teal'c and the Colonel were alive.

Gairwyn had taken them to the former Goa'uld host and Kendra had told them of the labyrinth; of the doorway at the exit which had freed her of the Goa'uld symbiote. Daniel wiped at the dampness on his cheeks. He had been so excited. It had partly been because they had established that it was very likely Jack and Teal'c were alive but he quietly admitted to himself, his excitement had been mostly down to his joy that he might have found a way to save his wife.

Sha're. He conjured up the image of her in his mind; her soft dark hair, her sweet face, the curve of her body and her eyes, always shining with love for him. The ache of missing her shook his body from head to toe and brought another wave of tears that cascaded down his face. She had been gone for months, captured by Apophis from Abydos and taken as a host for the Goa'uld Ammonet. His fault. He had unburied the gate and allowed Apophis to come through. A wave of self-hatred burned through his gullet and he suddenly swept the blanket away and stumbled into the bathroom to retch into the sink.

The sickness left him clinging onto the porcelain and shuddering. He turned on a steel tap with a shaking hand and cleaned the sink before he reached for his toothbrush. The journey to the labyrinth had taken a long time but Daniel hadn't minded. He had enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Kendra and learn of her experience. It had filled him with hope. He had dared to believe that perhaps finding Cimmeria, finding a device that allowed a host to become free of the Goa'uld, that it was his redemption for his earlier mistake at unburying the gate. He had found a way of saving Sha're and not only Sha're but her brother Skaara who had also been taken.

Daniel slowed in the action of brushing his teeth. All that hope had been destroyed when Jack had told him they had to destroy the machine for Teal'c to leave. He spat out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth with water. Teal'c had offered to stay in the labyrinth but deep down Daniel knew it wouldn't have been fair to expect the Jaffa to make such a sacrifice even if part of him, a part he didn't like to admit existed, thought there was a justice to it given Teal'c's involvement in what had happened to Sha're and Skaara. Daniel threw the toothbrush into the glass at the side of the sink. It wasn't Teal'c's fault that he couldn't leave the labyrinth and he had been unusually visibly upset at what had transpired.

He gripped the side of the sink hanging on for dear life as he stared unseeingly at his reflection in the mirror. In his head he could hear the shot leave the staff weapon and see again the energy ripple over the machine. When they left the planet, he had thought he was OK with destroying the machine but it had hit him in the middle of debriefing. He had destroyed a machine that could have saved Sha're. He sank onto the tiled floor and covered his face with his hands and when that didn't stop the tears, he wrapped his arms around his head, pressed his face into his knees and rocked silently back and forth.

Daniel almost didn't hear the banging on the front door of his apartment. He lowered his arms slowly to check and the noise came again. He got to his feet and swiped at his face using the sleeve of his shirt to rub away the traces of tears as he headed out to answer the insistent summons. He grabbed his glasses on the way. Probably some door-to-door salesman, he mused tiredly; nobody had his new address. He'd get rid of him and go back to bed. He slid the chain back, unlocked the door and swung it open. His blue eyes widened in shock at the sight of a rumpled looking Jack O'Neill standing in front of him.

Jack charged straight into the apartment, thrusting two pizza boxes into Daniel's arms. 'Tell me you have a TV.' He demanded.

'Well, yes…' Daniel said bemused noting Jack had kept hold of a pack of beer.

'Great.' Jack headed down the stairs for the living area, leaving Daniel to shut the door and trail after him. He found Jack in the middle of the room staring at the crush of unopened boxes and unpacked belongings that littered the space.

Daniel flushed self-consciously. 'I haven't really had time to unpack.' He hadn't wanted to, he realised, because unpacking meant that he accepted that he might be staying on Earth, that he wouldn't be returning to Abydos with Sha're anytime soon.

'That's OK.' Jack said throwing his jacket on a box. 'Where's the remote?'

'Jack, look,' Daniel waved the pizza boxes as the other man searched, 'this really isn't a good time…'

'Ah, found it.' Jack pressed the 'on' button, shoved a box off the sofa and sat down. The screen changed rapidly from a documentary on Hitler to sports. He reached down, grabbed a beer and settled back. His brown eyes glanced to Daniel before moving straight back to the on screen action. 'Are you bringing those pizzas over or what?'

Daniel felt a surge of resentment and closed his eyes. For a brief moment, he hated the other man. Maybe if he wished hard enough Jack would just disappear. He sighed and reopened his eyes. Nope, it definitely wasn't his day. Jack remained seated on the sofa, sipping a beer and watching the TV. 'What are you doing here, Jack?'

'My TV's broken,' Jack said without looking at him, 'and I _really_ wanted to watch this. It was the only thing that kept me going in that labyrinth.' His eyes flickered away from the screen and met Daniel's. 'You don't mind do you?'

Daniel opened his mouth to reply that he did when he caught the anxious hope in the depths of the brown eyes looking back at him. He sighed and gave in ungraciously. He plonked the pizzas onto the coffee table and pushed another box out of the way to take a seat next to Jack. 'You got another one of those?' He asked gesturing at the bottle.

Jack silently handed him a bottle and reached for a slice of pizza. Daniel took a gulp of beer and snagged his own share of the food. For a long while there was nothing but the quiet chatter of the TV commentary, interspersed with chewing and gulping. Daniel let his eyes fix on the screen. He didn't recognise the game on the screen but then he wasn't exactly into sport. He swallowed another gulp of beer.

'I should have done it.' Jack's quiet words drifted across the sofa and settled somewhere between them in the tense silence.

'Why?' Daniel asked finally with a sigh, unsure what to think or feel with the assertion that Jack should have destroyed the machine. 'What difference would it have made?'

'I shouldn't have put it on you.' Jack insisted his thumb rubbing at the label on the bottle almost unconsciously.

'Why?' Daniel asked again. 'So I could be mad at you or at Sam for destroying the machine instead of being mad at you for making me do it?'

'So you are mad at me.' Jack seemed incongruously satisfied by Daniel's answer and the archaeologist shot him a bemused look.

'Of course I'm mad at you, Jack.' Daniel blurted out angrily. 'You made me destroy the only thing we've discovered that gave me a chance of saving my wife.'

'And Skaara.' Jack noted. 'We could have stayed.' He sighed. 'We could have camped out in that room; Carter might have worked out how to switch the thing off in a controlled way.'

'Didn't Sam say the technology was way more advanced than the Goa'ulds at the debriefing?' Daniel said. 'She didn't sound like she could have figured it out in a couple of days. You probably would have just delayed the inevitable.' He gestured. 'Besides, I know why you made me do it.'

'You do?'

Daniel nodded. 'You didn't want to burden Sam with it and if you had done it, Teal'c might have thought that I was still mad at him, that my acceptance of him up till now was just an act. I get why it had to be me.' He winced at his own bitterness.

'Daniel…'

'I'll be fine, Jack.' Daniel said sharply.

'I'm still sorry.'

The sincere apology startled Daniel into looking at him again. 'Did you just apologise?'

Jack's eyes slipped away from the TV and met Daniel's squarely. 'I did.' He paused. 'Look, whatever my reasons for asking you to do it and no matter how justified they were, I know destroying that thing was hard for you and it was unfair that you had to do it. So I'm sorry.'

Daniel stared at him for a moment before he broke the intense eye contact. His self-righteous anger drained away suddenly and left him uncertain. He looked at the beer he held miserably. 'It's not your fault, Jack.' He rested his head against the back of the sofa. 'I'm the one to blame.'

'I'm not sure I follow you, Daniel.' Jack said wondering what crazy thought process the other man was following.

'We wouldn't even have needed the device on Cimmeria to save Sha're and Skaara if I'd just left the gate on Abydos buried.' Daniel confessed.

Jack looked at Daniel's pale face at the red, puffy eyes and silvery tracks that told of a crying jag. 'You have to stop blaming yourself. The only person to blame is Apophis. He's the one who stole Sha're and Skaara from Abydos and he's the one who had them implanted with snakes.'

'He wouldn't have even been looking in Ra's territory if I hadn't killed Ra.' Daniel argued.

'If we hadn't killed Ra.' Jack corrected him. 'And if anything that's more on me than you; I triggered the nuke.' Daniel went quiet and Jack gave a humourless smile. Got you there, didn't I, Danny? He thought sadly.

'I just want her back.' Daniel said eventually. He sounded weary.

'We'll get her back.' Jack said with a confidence he didn't feel but that he knew the younger man needed. Leadership, he mused, sometimes the appearance of confidence was more important than the truth.

'Every time I go through the Stargate, Jack, I think is this the time? Will I see her _this_ time?' Daniel gulped down more beer. 'And this one time I think, OK, I haven't seen her but maybe I've found a way to save her…' His throat closed as tears threatened again.

'I know, Daniel.' Jack said sympathetically. 'It sucks.'

Daniel forced back the urge to cry. 'I miss my wife.'

'I miss mine.' The words slipped out unintentionally. Jack glanced at his beer and wondered if it was affecting him more than usual.

Daniel suddenly focused on him. Jack had been separated from his wife Sara for a while. 'Have you spoken to her since…?'

'Since an alien turned up at her house pretending to be me?' Jack finished. 'Can we not talk about it?'

'Sure.' Daniel went to tip his beer back and looked at the empty bottle puzzled. Jack handed him another one. 'Thanks.'

They watched the game for a few more minutes before Jack sighed heavily. 'Sara came to the house.'

'She did?' Daniel was surprised. 'When?'

'The morning after.' Jack said. 'Before you guys showed up.'

'You didn't say anything.' Daniel noted.

'There wasn't anything to say.' Jack said simply. 'She came to say goodbye. We're divorcing.'

Daniel viewed the other man's grave profile, the sadness lurking in the depths of his brown eyes. 'I'm sorry, Jack.'

Jack shrugged. 'At least we said goodbye this time.' His eyes slid to Daniel's. 'I should thank you for giving her the address.'

Daniel blushed. 'Ah…about that…'

Jack waved away the apology he was certain he was about to get.

The archaeologist frowned suddenly. 'Talking about addresses, how did you get mine?'

'Sam gave it to me.' Jack said.

'Sam?' Daniel's frown deepened. 'How did Sam get it?'

'I'm not sure.' Jack admitted. 'I didn't inquire too closely.'

'She must have hacked into the personnel files.' Daniel mused oblivious to Jack's visible wince. 'Couldn't she get into serious trouble for that?'

'Yes, Daniel.' Jack said with exaggerated patience. 'Which will be why I didn't inquire too closely and why I didn't hear you just say that.'

Daniel blinked. 'Why would she do that?'

'She was worried about you.' Jack said with an exasperated sigh. 'We all were.'

'You were?'

'Daniel, you disappeared off the base without a word to any of us after a particularly difficult mission for you.' Jack pointed out. 'Of course we were worried.' He didn't mention the level by level search they had instigated when they had realised none of them had seen Daniel since the debriefing; or how deeply upset Sam had been – he wasn't sure he wanted to see _that _look in her blue eyes ever again – or how devastated the usually impassive Jaffa has seemed. The two of them had been eager to come with him but he figured if Daniel was mad at them for what had happened then he should take the brunt of it; it had been his decision, after all.

'Oh.' Daniel shifted a little uncomfortably. He was swamped by another feeling of guilt. He knew the others had also been upset by what had happened in the labyrinth. Teal'c had been uncharacteristically visibly upset and Sam had been unusually silent during his discussion with Jack over destroying the machine. Knowing how quick Sam's mind was and what Kendra had told them, it was likely she had worked out they were going to have to destroy the device to save Teal'c long before they had reached labyrinth. He sighed. He couldn't believe she had risked her career to find his address for Jack.

Daniel wondered at his decision not to give his team the address. Had he been unconsciously keeping them at a distance? His eyes landed on the unpacked boxes. Or maybe it was just another part of his denial, he thought sadly. He hadn't wanted to think that he'd be staying at the apartment long enough to require telling them. He frowned. Sam had found the address for Jack but she hadn't come with him; Jack had come alone. Thinking of the team again, Daniel thought. He probably didn't want Sam or Teal'c hurt by anything an emotionally upset archaeologist might say in anger. His eyes flickered to Jack. The military man had made a hard decision in the labyrinth but he'd made the one that he thought worked best for the team as a whole. Jack didn't have the luxury of only considering how one person felt…he had to consider them all.

All of which, Daniel concluded, meant that Jack's visit wasn't an accident. 'Your TV isn't broken, is it?' He asked idly.

'Nope.' Jack admitted cheerfully.

'So this game we're watching?' Daniel asked.

'I have no idea what it is.' Jack said. 'But I'm pretty certain the guys in white are losing to the other guys in white.' He frowned. 'Or maybe the other way around.'

Daniel picked up the remote and changed the channel. He flipped to a movie; the Cowardly Lion ran across the screen.

'Cool.' Jack said reaching for another beer.

'You have to have watched this a million times.' Daniel complained even though he threw the remote back down on the cushion between them.

'It's a classic, Daniel.'

The two of them bickered happily as the Lion joined Dorothy and they set off to see the Wizard.

o-O-o

Sunlight streamed through the living room windows. It settled on the sofa and its two occupants. Daniel felt the warmth of it on his face as he came awake. He frowned. He was lying at an odd angle and the cushion under his head seemed very solid. His eyes snapped open and he winced at the brightness. Suddenly the 'cushion' stirred. Daniel gave a yelp of fright and leaped away from the sofa dislodging Jack who gave a startled cry as he fell on the floor. He got stiffly to his feet and glared at the archaeologist.

'Sorry.' Daniel mumbled willing his heartbeat back to normal. 'It's just…' he gestured at the empty sofa, 'you moved.'

'I moved?' Jack bit out rubbing his ribs where Daniel had unwittingly elbowed him in his haste to get up.

Daniel folded his arms across his chest. 'We must have…uh…fallen asleep.'

'Ya think?' Jack glanced back at the sofa unwillingly and rubbed at the ache in his neck. His eyes caught Daniel's. 'This is…'

'Never mentioned.' Daniel completed.

'Ever.' Jack stressed. He grimaced and looked around. 'I need a bathroom.' He took a couple of steps towards Daniel before skirting him and zipping down the hallway.

Daniel took in the debris of the evening; the empty bottles and leftover pizza. He picked up a cold slice and munched on it hungrily. He was licking the tomato sauce from his fingers when Jack wandered back in and grabbed his discarded jacket. Daniel noticed Jack's short brown hair was damp and figured the other man had dunked his head in cold water – his cure for a hangover.

'You want some breakfast?' Daniel asked. 'I have leftover pizza.'

'Nah,' Jack stuffed his arms into his jacket, straightened the collar and gestured back toward the door. 'I should probably get going.' His guarded brown eyes met Daniel's. 'Although if you want,' he said casually as he waved at the boxes, 'since we've got a couple of days on leave, I could stick around, help you unpack.'

Daniel shook his head. 'Thanks but I think it's something I need to do myself.'

Jack nodded. 'OK. Well.' He rocked back on his heels. 'I'll just…' he indicated the door.

'Yeah.' Daniel followed him out. At the front door he cleared his throat awkwardly. 'Jack?'

The older man turned and looked back at him. 'What?'

'Thanks.' Daniel said softly.

Jack nodded and left.

Daniel closed the front door and wandered back into the living room. He sighed. He had forgotten SG1 had two days off while the technicians ran a gate diagnostic. Maybe he could head back into the base and apologise to Sam and Teal'c. He could continue with his research there, he mused. Maybe find another planet that might be linked to the Norse Gods – after all, if they had created a device like the one on Cimmeria once, they might have done it again. He could find one that was intact, that could help him save Sha're…

His fist landed on the top of a tall box by his hip.

Daniel looked at it for a long moment. Maybe, he considered sadly, it was time to accept he wasn't heading straight back to Abydos with his wife. He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat as his hands reached out and tore the tape away. He reached in and pulled out an old wooden statue. For a moment he battled against the urge to run away to his bedroom and hide back under the blanket. He slowly loosened his grip and set the figurine aside, reached back into the box. It was time to unpack.


	10. The Torment of Daniel

**Author's Note: **Emphasis on Daniel/Jack, Daniel/Sam and Daniel/Teal'c friendships.

**The Torment of Tantalus Recap:** _Old footage of Stargate experiments in the 1940s show that the gate was activated and a man went through. Daniel goes to see Catherine Langford for an explanation. She identifies the traveller as her fiancé at the time, Ernest Littlefield. SG1 along with Catherine head to the planet Ernest gated to and discover why Ernest never returned – the DHD was broken. While the others try to fix it before a nasty storm hits, Ernest takes Daniel to see another room. It reveals that there was once an alliance of four advanced races and holds an information device that might be the key to human existence. When they finally get the Stargate dialled using a lightening bolt to activate it, Daniel initially refuses Jack's order to leave but changes his mind and they barely make it back to the SGC before the wormhole destabilises. The Stargate won't reengage with the planet and they surmise the storm destroyed the building._

**The Torment of Daniel**

'Do you think they'll get together?' Daniel Jackson murmured as he stepped into the elevator with Colonel Jack O'Neill.

'Who?' Jack asked stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Daniel refrained from rolling his eyes and chose his floor. 'Catherine and Ernest.' He said patiently referring to the elderly couple they had just escorted from the SGC base. Catherine Langford had taken charge of her one-time fiancé Ernest Littlefield and they were heading back to her home together. Ernest had a lot of adjusting to do given the changes on Earth since his trip through the Stargate in the 1940's.

Jack winced visibly and rocked back on his heels. 'I don't even want to think about it, Daniel.'

'Why?' Daniel asked folding his arms across his chest.

'Why?' Jack repeated glancing at the floor indicator. 'Because they're old, Daniel.'

'So were you not so long ago.' Daniel remarked under his breath thinking back to the Colonel's experience of being aged by nanocytes.

'What?' Jack said.

Daniel plastered an innocent look in his face. 'What?'

The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open before Jack could reply.

'My stop.' Daniel said cheerfully practically leaping out into the corridor. 'See you later.'

'Yes, Daniel. You will see me later.' Jack enjoyed the flash of panic on the archaeologist's face as the elevator doors slid shut again. He punched the button of the floor he wanted and settled back against the wall, grateful to have the opportunity to lean on something. His whole body was a multi-coloured hue after the mission to rescue Ernest. A fall down a flight of steps to save Captain Carter and himself from ending up in the bottom of the ocean along with the DHD had been followed by a rough landing out of an unstable wormhole onto the SGC ramp. Getting home had been a close call and given Carter's assertion that he really didn't want to know how close, he was willing to bet it had almost been too close. He shook his head and ignored the nagging flicker of anger at why it had been a close call. He and Daniel had made it back; that was the important thing.

The elevator stopped and Jack strode out towards General Hammond's office. He had been ordered to report once their visitors were off base. He rapped on the door and when Hammond called out to enter, walked in, shutting the door behind him. The General was sat in his red leather chair bent over a stack of reports that covered the desk, his attention on the open folder he was reading.

'General.' Jack came to attention in front of the desk.

Hammond's pale blue eyes glanced up at Jack briefly before returning to the folder. He made a final notation and sat back. 'At ease, Colonel. Did Catherine Langford and Ernest Littlefield get away OK?' He asked as Jack adjusted his stance.

'Yes, sir.' Jack confirmed.

'Good.' Hammond folded his hands over his stomach. 'You're aware that Doctor Jackson has asked to delay SG1's next mission until he can complete his study of Doctor Littlefield's notes and for Captain Carter to complete the computer model of the device on the planet?'

'Yes, sir.' Jack kept his tone neutral.

'What's your view, Colonel? Is this device as important as Doctor Jackson seems to think?'

'I'm the wrong person to ask, General.' Jack said evading the question. 'Daniel's the expert.'

'Take a guess, Colonel.' Hammond ordered.

'As Daniel said in the debriefing, sir,' Jack began, 'he and Doctor Littlefield are convinced the planet was the meeting place for four advanced alien races which includes the aliens we think protect Cimmeria from the Goa'uld. If that's true, there are potentially three other advanced races in addition to the one we know about who might oppose the Goa'uld out there.'

'And the device may have contained valuable information about these races and how to find them.' Hammond completed.

'It's a thought, sir.' Jack noted.

'So you support Doctor Jackson's request?' Hammond's blue gaze stayed on Jack's relentlessly.

Jack considered his reply carefully. 'I think Daniel deserves a crack at seeing whether the notes or the recordings he made of the device contain the information we're after, sir.' He shifted his weight a little. 'However, I don't support an unlimited time-frame. I'd like SG1 back out in the field ASAP.'

'I agree, Colonel.' Hammond smiled at the younger man pleased with his balanced response. 'Doctor Fraiser has recommended we delay SG1's next mission to P1X550 and that you all stay on light duties for a week to allow the bruising you, Doctor Jackson and Captain Carter sustained on the mission to heal.' He leaned forward. 'I'm inclined to give Doctor Jackson that time to review the notes and Captain Carter's computer model for any information regarding how we contact these advanced alien races. At the end of the week, all information is to be transferred to on-base personnel for follow-up and SG1 will go to P1X550 as planned.'

'Yes, sir.'

'As Doctor Jackson and Captain Carter will be otherwise occupied, I'd like you and Teal'c to brief the SG personnel on Goa'uld and Jaffa offensive strategies and tactics. Sergeant Harriman will organise the sessions and provide you with a schedule.'

Jack nodded. The briefings were important and could save the lives of the other SG team-members who didn't have the advantage of having a Jaffa working with them. 'Understood, sir.'

'I'll leave you to inform your team, Colonel.' Hammond said already reaching for the next folder in the stack on his desk. 'That will be all.'

'Yes, sir.' Jack came to attention at the dismissal. Outside of the office, with the door safely shut behind him, he rubbed his hands through his short crop of hair before he made his way back down the corridor to the elevator. He was guessing that Daniel wasn't going to be happy at the timescale.

He made his way to the archaeologist's office hoping to find him there rather than in Carter's lab; tactically he figured it would go better if he only had to deal with one scientist at a time. He sighed at the empty room and took a couple of steps inside to check Daniel wasn't hidden by a cupboard or a bookshelf. The room remained empty. He tapped his knuckles on the central workbench and turned to leave only to find Daniel walking in.

Daniel slowed and carefully changed direction to avoid the side of the office where Jack stood. 'Jack.'

'Daniel.'

'What are you doing in my office?' Daniel asked suspiciously.

Jack gestured at the archaeologist. 'Waiting for you.'

'If this about the crack I made in the elevator…' He stopped as Jack dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. 'Then what?'

'Hammond's agreed to your request for time to study Ernest's notes and anything Carter can reconstruct with the computer model.'

Daniel's blue eyes brightened. 'He has? That's great…'

'You have a week.' Jack interrupted.

'A week?' Daniel shook his head furiously. 'No. That's not enough time.'

'That's what you've got.' Jack said evenly.

'Jack, I need more time.' Daniel argued.

Jack sighed. 'Well, you have a week and then we're off to P1X…wherever.'

'But this is important, Jack. What we could learn from this is incredible…'

'I know, I know, meaning of life stuff.' Jack said dismissively.

'Yes, Jack, meaning of life stuff.' Daniel pushed a hand through his floppy brown hair in frustration. 'You didn't get it on the planet and you don't get it now.'

The sting of the condescension had Jack's hackles rising swiftly. 'Hey, I get it.' He snapped. 'What I don't get is why you're so obsessed with it.'

'Because we could learn so much…' Daniel began passionately.

'Don't give me that crap.' Jack braced himself on the table with fisted hands and leaned over it slightly. 'You've made finds before and never got this obsessed. You almost got both of us trapped on that planet because you were so intent on staying with that thing, Daniel.' His residual anger at what had happened gave the words a sharp edge that had the other man flushing.

'I apologised for that.' Daniel muttered.

Jack took a deep breath and tried to calm down. 'What's going on with you?' He asked bluntly.

'I told you.' Daniel folded his arms tightly around himself and refused to meet Jack's eyes.

'And I'm telling you I don't believe it.' Jack countered furiously. 'What happened to wanting to find Sha're and Skaara? Or have you forgotten about them?'

Daniel flinched and his face whitened. 'That's not fair, Jack.'

'Isn't it? Is this stuff really more important than finding them?' Jack asked harshly. His hand waved at the brown journal Daniel held. He straightened abruptly. 'SG1 is a field unit, Daniel. We go off world.' His hard brown stare met the archaeologist's across the dimly lit room. 'Maybe you should take the week and consider whether you still want to be a part of the team or whether you want to stay here and ponder the meaning of life.' He spun on his heel and left before he said something else he would regret.

Daniel watched him walk out with a pounding heart. He slumped onto a stool a little dazed at the argument. It wasn't the first time he had argued with Jack but it was the first time since Jack had worked out that Daniel couldn't immediately get them home from Abydos that he had felt the other man was really, deep down, furiously angry with him. He put the journal down on the table in front of him surprised to find his hands were shaking.

Dammit, he thought his own anger stirring, Jack had no right to be angry with him. OK, he conceded, the idea of staying on the planet with the device hadn't been his best ever and he had almost gotten himself and Jack trapped on the planet or, worse, lost in wormhole limbo because he had delayed their leaving with his initial insistence on staying but he had apologised for that.

Jack just didn't understand…what? Daniel asked himself suddenly, what didn't Jack understand? How potentially valuable the information in the device was? He was fooling himself if he believed Jack didn't understand _that_. The military man wasn't stupid despite his habit of underplaying his intelligence. Daniel shifted uncomfortably on the stool. No, what Jack didn't understand was why it was more important than their lives or their mission especially their personal mission to find Sha're and Skaara. He wasn't certain he understood it himself, Daniel thought suddenly weary. All he knew was that he wasn't ready to examine it yet…he needed a distraction. He reached for Ernest's journal.

o-O-o

Daniel walked down the stark corridor of the base self-consciously. He hadn't seen Jack since their argument four days before and he was a little worried that he would run into the older man. Truthfully he had no idea what to say to Jack. Since their exchange Daniel had tried his hardest to lose himself in Ernest's book; in viewing the camcorder recording and trying to decipher the writing – anything to avoid thinking about what the other man had said to him and examining the reasons why he had become obsessed with the device beyond his need to find Sha're. He pushed it to the back of his mind again as he reached Sam's lab and knocked on the open door to alert her to his presence. He pushed his glasses up his nose. The blonde Air Force Captain was fully transfixed at her computer and hadn't registered his arrival at all.

'Sam?' She didn't move and Daniel took another couple of steps inside the lab. 'Sam?' He repeated.

Sam glanced over her shoulder and smiled brightly at the sight of the archaeologist. 'Daniel. You got my message.'

'Yeah.' He walked over to her. 'You said the computer model was ready?'

'Almost.' She reached for a mug of coffee on the bench behind her and took a gulp. She waved him over. 'Come and have a look.' She hit a couple of buttons and a three dimensional graphic appeared on the screen.

Daniel stood behind her shoulder as he took in the image. It showed a detailed computer graphic of the room they had left behind on the planet with the information device in the centre and shapes projected into the high ceiling.

'The computers referencing the video you took to establish the room dimensions, position of the device and the height of the ceiling.' Sam explained. 'It's calculated the scale to position the projections correctly and I've written a programme to recalculate Ernest's measurements into that scale along with any additional video footage you were able to take.' She rubbed the ache at the back of her neck unconsciously. 'It's incredible, Daniel.'

'I know.' Daniel smiled happily at her enthusiasm. Sam had spent all her time on the planet working out a way to activate the Stargate without a functioning DHD. He had missed her in the other room. They always bounced off each other intellectually. 'I wish you could have spent more time with it, Sam.'

'Me too.' Sam said with another smile. 'I can see why you're so fascinated.'

'I'm glad someone understands.' Daniel murmured as he pulled up a stool to sit beside her.

Sam took another gulp of her coffee. 'What do you mean?'

Daniel looked at her in surprise. 'Jack didn't say anything to you?'

'About what?' Sam asked confused.

'We…uh…kinda had an argument about it.' Daniel admitted.

Sam started grinning. 'You and the Colonel arguing? I'm shocked.'

Daniel found himself smiling back at her. He wrinkled his nose. 'I guess Jack didn't mention it.'

Sam shook her head. 'I haven't really seen him and Teal'c.' She confessed. 'I've been in here working on this and they're doing those briefings on Goa'uld tactics.' She tilted her head. 'And, of course, Teal'c's been spending time in the infirmary with Doctor Fraiser.'

'The infirmary?' Daniel looked at her concerned. 'Is he alright…I mean…is he OK?'

'Hmmm-hmmm. Doctor Fraiser's just been going over the procedure to remove Teal'c's symbiote when they try using that new drug as a substitute for his immune system.' Sam reminded him. 'If she's successful, it'll mean Teal'c won't have to rely on the symbiote and we'll have a live Goa'uld to study.'

'Oh. Right.' Daniel vaguely remembered the briefing they'd attended about it a few weeks before. 'I'd forgotten about that.'

'Well, you have been a little distracted.' Sam teased him.

'Yes, distracted.' Daniel sighed.

'I can see why, Daniel.' Sam admitted. 'I've been reading the photocopies of Ernest's notes and his theories are staggering.'

'That's what I think.' Daniel said forcefully. 'I mean, this could be really important. Meaning of life stuff.' He gestured at the screen. 'This.' He said. 'It could be the explanation of why we're here.'

Sam considered his agitation. 'Is this about your argument with Colonel O'Neill?'

'No.' Daniel denied automatically before he sighed. 'Yes. Kind of.' He gestured weakly and tried to cover a little for the real reason for the argument. 'I think mainly he's mad that we almost didn't make it to the wormhole in time because of me.'

'It was a close call, Daniel.' Sam said.

'We made it.' He said defensively.

'You almost didn't.' Sam pointed out. 'The wormhole was destabilising. Another second and we'd have lost you both.' She didn't mention how worried she had been standing at the edge of the ramp and waiting for them; seeing the blue horizon of the wormhole flicker ominously and no sign of them.

'I know and I said I was sorry.' Daniel pushed his hand through his hair. 'I admit I was wrong about staying on the planet and studying the device there but…' He caught the flicker of something in Sam's blue eyes before she could hide it. 'What?'

'It's just…' Sam sighed. 'I don't understand why you wanted to stay on the planet to study the device when you knew the Stargate didn't have a working DHD and that you'd be stuck there especially when you're searching for Sha're.'

Her gentle tone and baffled expression had all his confusion surging to the surface. 'I don't know either.' He confessed brokenly. Tears sprang into his eyes and Sam abandoned her coffee to hug him awkwardly given their sitting positions.

'Hey. It's OK.' She murmured patting him lightly on the back.

Daniel wrapped his arms around her tightly and held onto her. Eventually, Sam drew back.

'You feel a little better now?' She asked softly.

'I guess.' Daniel smiled a little embarrassed as she handed him a tissue. He took his glasses off and rubbed at his damp eyes before blowing his nose.

'I'm always here if you want someone to talk to, Daniel.' Sam said rubbing his arm comfortingly.

'I know,' Daniel snagged her hand and squeezed it, 'and I appreciate it. I just wish I knew why I feel the way I do.'

'You'll work it out.' She said.

'I hope so.'

Sam handed him the rest of her coffee. 'Here. I think you need this more than I do.'

Daniel took it with a shy smile. 'Thanks.' He took a sip and hid his face in the mug.

'You want to hear something weird?' Sam asked figuring a change of subject was in order.

'What?' Daniel asked.

'I was going over the data from the logs in the dialling computer of the attempts to dial back to the gate on the planet and it doesn't make sense.' Sam said.

Daniel gestured. 'The gate's gone. We can't reconnect to it.'

'But that's what doesn't make any sense.' Sam said firmly. 'Look, the material the gate is made of is practically indestructible. There's no way it could be destroyed in something as simple as a storm no matter how bad it was.'

'So it fell into the ocean…'

'But we should have still been able to activate it.' Sam said. 'From what we understand, the gate doesn't need a power source to establish an incoming wormhole. That's why you can't just disconnect it from the power source to stop the gate being used; you have to bury the gate and cover it.'

'To stop the wormhole from establishing or stop things from coming through.'

'Exactly.' Sam brushed her fringe out of her eyes. 'We should have been able to connect back to the gate even if it had fallen in the sea. Sure we couldn't have gone through but we should have been able to connect.'

'So why can't we?' Daniel asked.

She smiled pleased to see the perplexed look in his eyes that indicated she had successfully diverted his attention. 'I don't know. That's what's weird and there's a second weird thing.'

'A second weird thing?' Daniel frowned.

'You know how Ernest said the storm came every year?'

'Yes.'

'Well, I've cross referenced the timing of the storm in his notes. He wasn't wrong. The storm came every year like clockwork at the exact same time.'

'But that's impossible.' Daniel said gesturing with the mug. 'I mean the probability of a storm hitting the exact same location at the exact same time every year is incalculable.'

'I know.' She pointed excitedly at the stack of notes on the bench beside her. 'But that's exactly what happened. Maybe these aliens had some way of controlling the weather.'

'Wow.' Daniel shook his head.

'Weird, huh?'

'Definitely, weird.' Daniel sighed. 'I should get back.' He slipped off the stool. 'Thanks for working so hard on this, Sam.'

'No problem.' She said.

'And for the coffee.' He said raising the mug. 'And the…uh…hug.'

'Any time.' Sam watched him leave with a worried frown before she turned back to the screen and the computer model.

o-O-o

Teal'c stood in the doorway of Daniel Jackson's office and wondered whether he should have insisted that O'Neill deliver the message himself. The tension between his two team-mates had not escaped his notice even though neither man had been in the presence of the other for six days. Indeed, it was the very fact that the two men hadn't spoken with each other that had sealed his suspicion that they had argued. O'Neill's brusque mood had been another clue as had the way the Colonel had winced imperceptibly whenever Daniel Jackson was mentioned in conversation.

It had been a surprise to Teal'c that the argument had been allowed to fester for days. On Chulak a serious disagreement between friends required weapons but it was speedily resolved. This strange avoidance and silence seemed unhealthy to him although Captain Carter had assured him when he had inquired about the situation with her that it was a normal human, and according to her, male reaction. It had been Captain Carter who had provided Teal'c with confirmation of the argument and the probable cause; the archaeologist's passion for the information device back on the planet which had almost caused him and the Colonel to be trapped there. Teal'c had been surprised. Both men had seemed fine in the immediate aftermath of the mission and he wondered what had prompted the argument.

Whatever it was, he determined, it was not his concern. He had been given a task and he would carry it out. Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back and entered the office, clearing his throat to announce his presence.

Daniel looked up from the computer screen. 'Teal'c.' He nudged his glasses up to rub at his eyes tiredly and slid off the chair to find a book. 'What can I do for you?'

Teal'c's dark eyes roamed over the younger man's dishevelled appearance, straggly hair and unshaven jaw. 'I came to remind you the briefing for our mission to P1X550 will take place at oh-eight-hundred tomorrow morning, Daniel Jackson.'

Daniel snatched a book off the shelf. Jack was obviously still angry with him if he'd sent Teal'c with the reminder. He ignored the sick feeling in his gut and focused unseeingly on the book he held.

Teal'c raised his eyebrow. 'Have you made any progress in determining the information within the device?'

'Some.' Daniel said pointing back at his computer monitor. 'Sam's built a computer model of the device and she's cross-referenced all the symbols across all the pages to the original elements on the first page if they occupy the same spatial coordinates. I've been trying to work with the second set of symbols to understand what they represent. They don't seem to relate to the languages on the wall in the chamber and I'm in the middle of cross-referencing them with every language on Earth…' he rambled to a halt and put the book down.

'It sounds most difficult.' Teal'c commented.

'Yes which is why I need more than a week.' He threw up his hands and reached for the coffee he had abandoned on the central workbench. 'Only everybody seems to want us to travel to P1X550 instead.'

'Do you not believe our mission there to be important?' Teal'c asked.

'Do you?' Daniel asked.

'I believe each mission provides us with a new opportunity to find weapons and allies against the Goa'uld.' Teal'c confirmed.

'And you really believe P1X550 will be the one that provides us with all that?' Daniel pressed. 'Really?'

Teal'c's eyebrow lifted again. 'We will not know until we go on the mission, Daniel Jackson.'

Daniel slumped into his chair. 'I guess not.'

Teal'c inclined his head and regarded the other man for a long moment. 'Is something troubling you, Daniel Jackson?'

Daniel suddenly focused on the Jaffa properly. He tapped his fingers restlessly against his mug. 'Teal'c, do you really think the Jaffa will be free one day?'

'I am certain of it.' Teal'c said wondering at the apparent change in subject.

'Aren't you worried you might fail?'

Teal'c's eyebrow lifted. 'Failure is not an option, Daniel Jackson.'

'It's quite an ambitious goal though isn't it?' Daniel murmured. 'Some people might think that you were reaching for something that was unattainable. Doesn't that worry you?'

Teal'c straightened. 'I am not Tantalus.'

'I'm sorry?' Daniel's own eyebrows shot up.

'Was he not a King in your Greek mythology?' Teal'c asked.

'Well, yes. He was banished to Hades and forced to stand in water that receded when he tried to drink it.' Daniel said in a rush of words as he crossed his arms and stared at the Jaffa. 'How did you know who he was?'

'I overheard Catherine Langford and Ernest Littlefield speak of him on the planet.' Teal'c admitted.

'Really.' Daniel desperately wanted to know the context for the discussion but he didn't really want to ask. Unfortunately, he realised as Teal'c remained silent, his team-mate didn't look as though he was going to explain any further. 'So you don't think you're striving for something out of reach. You really think one day your people will be free and you'll keep fighting the Goa'uld until that happens?'

'Or I die.' Teal'c confirmed.

'Right.' Daniel sighed. 'So you won't ever give up, get tired or want to call it a day?'

'I will not.' Teal'c said.

'That's…commendable, Teal'c.' Daniel said his thoughts churning. 'Sam told me you were talking to Doctor Fraiser about trying a new immunity drug.'

'Indeed.' Teal'c said. 'She believes that it may enable me to be free of the Goa'uld symbiote I carry.'

'How do you feel about that?' Daniel asked.

'Our physical reliance on the Goa'uld is the means by which they enslave us.' Teal'c said firmly. 'To be free of the Goa'uld physically is the only way we will ever be truly free.' It was the only way that his son would be free, he thought. He was keeping careful track of the days to Rya'c's prim'ta – the ceremony where he would be implanted with his Goa'uld. Teal'c was hopeful that if the treatment Doctor Fraiser wanted to try was successful he would be able to prevent his son from requiring the symbiote and so prevent his son from becoming a slave.

Daniel stared at him. 'That is so deep.'

Teal'c's eyebrow arched upwards again.

'I should get back to this.' Daniel said gesturing at his notes.

'Then I will take my leave of you.' Teal'c bowed a little and left.

Daniel sighed and turned back to the book he had picked up. He leafed through it and put it back down. His blue eyes fell on Ernest's journal and he picked it up.

_We walked for miles today and still found no signs of civilisation. Catherine seems concerned but I am not. As long as she is here with me I will never feel alone. It seems impossible but every day we're here together I love her more. _

He remembered reading the passage on the planet and envying Ernest. Daniel shook his head. The other man had conjured Catherine in desperation after finding himself alone on a planet far from Earth and the real woman he loved. What was there to envy? Had that been the reason why he had wanted to stay on the planet, Daniel wondered out loud. Had he wanted to stay so that he could imagine a life with Sha're in the same way Ernest had imagined Catherine?

Daniel pulled his glasses from his face throwing them down on the open journal. He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands. It was getting harder and harder to picture Sha're in his mind. Since Cimmeria and destroying a device that could have saved her, it was even hard to believe that he would find her again and it was getting too hard to keep searching for her. He was so tired, he mused. Every time he stepped through the gate and didn't find her was another disappointment that chipped away at his resolve.

His hands dropped away from his face and he opened his eyes blearily not really seeing the page in front of him. Jack had asked him why he was so obsessed with the device, why he seemed to think it was more important than finding Sha're. Maybe it was time he faced the truth, Daniel mused and the truth was that on some level he wanted to give up. He wanted an excuse, an out, and an archaeological find that might provide the key to all existence provided him with that. He was tired of constantly going through the gate and never finding his wife.

Teal'c had proclaimed he was not Tantalus and Daniel wished he could do the same because he did feel like Tantalus; striving for something out of reach and being tormented with each unsuccessful mission. No, it was easier to focus on the incredible find on Ernest's planet, on something that might, with a lifetime of study, reveal the secrets of the universe. It was true it was important, incredibly important and something that he could fool himself into believing was more important than his own personal quest.

_No prize is worth attaining if you can never share it; there would be no point. _

And there in Ernest's words was the 'but', Daniel sighed, because if he succeeded in cracking the code of the information and did learn all the secrets of the universe, there was one person who he wanted to share it with more than any other; Sha're. It had been Ernest's words that had spurred him to leave the planet because somehow, despite everything, deep down he wanted to share his achievements, and his failures, with the woman he loved. And the only way that was going to happen, Daniel thought with a sudden fierceness, was if he found her; if he continued to go through the Stargate and search for her. The question was did he have the strength to believe anymore? Was he prepared to continue searching until he found her or he died trying? Or was he Tantalus after all?

o-O-o

Jack looked at the clock in the briefing room and scowled. It was almost ten minutes past the hour and Daniel hadn't shown up. He stared down at the buff folder in front of him and tried hard to pretend that the younger man's absence didn't affect him, that the tight feeling in his chest and gnawing sensation in his gut was just indigestion. Daniel had obviously made his decision, Jack thought harshly although a part of him couldn't believe the other man had chosen studying the meaning of life over going through the Stargate. He couldn't believe Daniel had given up on the search for Sha're that way.

'Perhaps we should page Doctor Jackson.' General Hammond suggested quietly. The room was filled with a strange tension and he wondered briefly at the cause.

'Maybe we should begin without him, sir.' Jack replied brusquely.

Hammond's pale blue eyes widened a little but he nodded. 'Captain Carter, if you could begin?'

Sam looked at the Colonel as though to check he hadn't changed his mind but his brown eyes were firmly on the table. She repressed the urge to sigh and opened her folder to start the review of the MALP data.

'Sorry I'm late.' Daniel swept into the briefing room and slipped into the chair next to Teal'c on the opposite side of the table from Jack. He avoided looking at Jack so missed the brief flicker of relief that flitted across the other man's features. Instead, Daniel placed his mug of coffee down and pushed his glasses up his nose as he met Hammond's inquiring gaze apologetically. 'It took me longer than I thought to handover my research notes on the computer model of the device and Ernest Littlefield's journal.' His hand strayed to the back of his neck which was damp from the hasty shower he had taken when the archaeologist he had been handing over to, had gently pointed out he needed a change of clothes to be presentable.

'Well, you're here now, Doctor Jackson. Let's proceed.' Hammond gestured at Sam. 'Captain.'

Sam smiled brightly at Daniel before she began and Daniel relaxed a little as he focused on the information about P1X550 and avoided looking at the Colonel across from him.

It only took half an hour before Hammond confirmed the team had permission to proceed with the mission and confirmed they were scheduled to depart in the afternoon. He dismissed them and headed for his office. The sound of the door shutting echoed in the suddenly tense and silent briefing room.

Sam looked from the Colonel who was studying his folder on P1X550 with a fascination she had never seen him have for a briefing report before to Daniel who was equally trying to look at anything but Jack. 'Teal'c, I know you wanted to speak with Doctor Fraiser about the immunity drug, perhaps we should report to the infirmary for our pre-travel checks early?'

'I agree, Captain Carter.' Teal'c said gently, rising from the table.

They hurried from the room leaving their two team-mates alone, staring after them.

'Subtle.' Daniel commented dryly.

'Wasn't it though?' Jack agreed.

Their eyes met across the table in shared humour for a moment before the reason why their team-mates had deserted them came hurtling back to them.

'Daniel.'

'Jack.'

They both stopped having spoken at the same time.

'I'm sorry.' Daniel said hurriedly before Jack had the opportunity to speak again. 'I know I put us, you, at risk on the planet and I'm sorry about that.'

Jack nodded slowly. 'I shouldn't have yelled at you about it. I said some things…'

'I think maybe I deserved it this time.' Daniel murmured meeting Jack's brown gaze squarely.

'You want to talk about it?' Jack asked as they got to their feet, not sure if he wanted the other man to say yes. He was just relieved that he and Daniel were moving past their argument and that Daniel seemed to have resolved whatever it was that had been bothering him.

Daniel shook his head and reached for his coffee. He still had Sam's mug, he realised absently. 'I'm OK.' He said. 'I needed to get some things sorted out in my head about…about Sha're and me.' He gestured vaguely. 'And I needed to understand something important.'

'What?' Jack asked as they began walking out.

Daniel looked over at Jack and smiled cryptically at him. 'I'm not Tantalus.'

Jack's brow creased in confusion. Wasn't the quote 'I am Spartacus'? Nope, he wasn't working that one out any time soon. 'Are you planning on explaining that?' He asked as they got into the elevator.

'I'm thinking no.' Daniel said pushing the button for the infirmary floor knowing Jack would want to catch up with Sam and Teal'c.

Jack leaned back against the wall. 'Good.' He smiled as the doors slid shut. 'Now about that crack you made the other day…'


	11. Defining Family

**Author's Note:** Daniel/Teal'c friendship. Suggestion of Sam/Jack.

**Bloodlines Recap:** _Teal'c admits that he left a wife and son back on Chulak because he needs to return to the planet to prevent his son from being implanted with a Goa'uld. Hammond reluctantly authorises an SG1 mission. Teal'c's teacher, Bra'tac takes Teal'c and Jack to a camp where Teal'c stops the prim'ta. His furious wife, Drey'auc tells him their son is sick and needed the healing power of the Goa'uld. _

_Meanwhile Sam and Daniel come across a tank of infant Goa'uld larvae at a temple. They take one and Daniel shocks Sam by shooting up the tank killing the rest. When they all meet up, Teal'c is dying having given up his own Goa'uld to save his son. They implant him with the young larvae and Teal'c leaves Drey'auc and Rya'c to Bra'tac's care before the old warrior helps them escape back to Earth._

**Defining Family**

'You wanted to see me, Daniel Jackson?' Teal'c hovered in the doorway of the archaeologist's office.

Daniel glanced up from his work at the Jaffa and smiled. 'Yes. I did. Catherine sent me something I thought you might want to see.' He beckoned Teal'c over to a side-bench and whipped off a dust cover.

Teal'c's dark eyes widened at the small table-like object. It was oblong with fifty eight holes drilled into the beautiful inlaid surface. Dark and ivory pawns – long sticks with the head of a dog were randomly placed along the game.

'Do you…' Daniel began.

'It is called Kasha Gyk.' Teal'c murmured reaching out to touch the wood reverently. 'An old game. I have not seen one on Chulak in many years.'

'Well, here it's called the Jackals and Hounds game. There were quite a few found in Ancient Egypt.' Daniel waved at it. 'We think this belonged to a Pharoah's daughter.'

'It was forbidden for slaves to play.' Teal'c said. 'It was used to teach strategy to the young Jaffa and Goa'uld.'

'I don't suppose you know how to.' Daniel asked hopefully.

Teal'c's eyes gleamed. 'I do.'

Daniel's blue eyes lit up behind his glasses. 'Would you teach me?'

Teal'c inclined his head. 'I would be honoured, Daniel Jackson.'

'Just a moment,' Daniel shifted a stack of papers from the central desk onto another side table.

Teal'c carried the game over gently and removed the pawns until the board was empty. He sat on one of the stools. 'We will need a coin.'

Daniel searched his pockets and failed to find any money. He opened a drawer and scrabbled around. He brought out an old Bronze Age coin. 'Will this do?'

'It will.'

Daniel placed the coin on the table, grabbed a notebook and sat on the stool. 'Whenever you're ready, Teal'c.'

'The purpose of the game is for each player to traverse the board from this point here,' he pointed at the top of the board, 'following these holes,' his finger ran down the length of the board, 'to here,' his finger stopped at the centre of the board, 'with as many pawns if possible.'

Daniel scribbled enthusiastically. 'So, the winner is the player who ends the game having traversed with the most number of pawns?'

'Indeed.' Teal'c confirmed.

'Why the most pawns? Why not all five?' Daniel mused. His brow creased. 'I don't understand.'

'Each player has three pawns on their side of the board and two on their opponents.' Teal'c said. 'If your opponent reaches the finish on your side or their own side with one of their pawns before you do, you lose one pawn. The lost pawn is entirely their choice and can be chosen from either side of the board.'

'Really? Wow.' Daniel's eyebrows rose. 'We've only ever assumed that it was a race between each side but this is a lot more complicated.'

'It requires strategy, cunning and luck.' Teal'c said. He placed a finger on the coin and slid it across the bench. 'You must throw this side to begin playing each new pawn; it will be worth two moves.'

'The head.' Daniel waved at the coin. 'We call this side the head. The opposite side is called the tail.' He caught Teal'c's look of disbelief. 'Really.'

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. 'The…tail is worth one.' He picked out lines between various holes. 'These short cuts can only be used if a head has been thrown from the previous hole.'

'So if I have a pawn on hole nine and throw a head then I can get to hole twenty-four but if I throw a tail I have to stay on hole ten and can't progress to hole twenty-four with my next throw?'

'Correct, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c nodded with satisfaction.

Daniel finished writing and put the notebook to one side. 'Shall we play?'

Teal'c silently passed him his pawns. 'Your first pawn must be played on your side of the board but you determine which side you play from that point and which pawn to move.'

'As long as I have two on your side and three on my own?'

Teal'c nodded.

For a long while, they played in silence. Daniel threw his coin and smiled at the head. He moved one of his pawns two places. He shook his head disbelief. 'I can't believe I'm actually playing the game.' The incredulity and awe in the younger man's voice softened Teal'c's expression as he made his own move. 'I mean,' Daniel continued, 'nobody's played this actual game on Earth in…in thousands of years.' He sighed in contentment.

'I am glad you are enjoying it, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c said making a short cut with his next move.

'I feel like I did when I first stood on the Giza plateau or on the steps of the Senate building in the Ancient Forum at Rome.' Daniel said with a shy smile. 'Like I'm actually touching history.'

Teal'c's lips lifted with a hint of a smile at the younger man's enjoyment.

Daniel was quiet for the next few moves. He watched in resigned amusement as Teal'c reached the finish on his own side and plucked one of Daniel's pawns from the board. He regarded the Jaffa for a long moment as he made his own move. 'So, we haven't talked much since we came back from Chulak.'

Teal'c's expression saddened imperceptibly.

'You must miss your family very much.' Daniel commented sympathetically.

The Jaffa met Daniel's gaze reluctantly and blinked at the compassion there. He hid his confusion by focusing momentarily on the game. The archaeologist remained an enigma to him in many ways. It still surprised Teal'c that Daniel had accepted him into SG1 despite the Jaffa's involvement in the abduction and implantation of Sha're. It had astonished him further that the other man had destroyed a machine on Cimmeria that would have saved Sha're to free Teal'c from the labyrinth there. Teal'c had been raised to believe such mercy was a sign of weakness but he was more grateful than he could ever have expressed for their embryonic friendship and more determined than ever to do all he could to recover Daniel's wife. He belatedly realised Daniel was waiting for him to reply. Teal'c repressed a sigh and nodded slowly. 'I do.'

'Can I ask you a question? I mean you don't have to answer if you don't want to but I was just wondering.' Daniel's voice trailed off and he looked a little uncertain as his serious blue gaze caught Teal'c's dark eyes.

'You may ask your question, Daniel Jackson.'

Daniel made his move before he looked back up at Teal'c. 'I was wondering why you didn't bring Drey'auc and Rya'c back with us. I thought General Hammond gave you permission.'

'He did.' Teal'c murmured. He frowned as he considered his answer. 'I could not ask them to leave Chulak. This is my fight.'

'But you must want them with you.' Daniel said.

'Indeed.'

'Then why not bring them?' Daniel pressed.

'I am rarely allowed to leave the base.' Teal'c noted. His second pawn finished the circuit and he plucked another of Daniel's from the board. 'That would be difficult for a young child to understand.'

'I never thought of that.' Daniel sighed as he made his own move.

'Your world is strange.' Teal'c said. 'I am uncertain my family would be able to…adjust. On Chulak Bra'tac will see to their safety.'

'I guess our customs and ways are very different.' Daniel smiled ruefully.

'Very different.' Teal'c confirmed.

'Still it's a shame that you can't have your family with you.' Daniel said.

Teal'c placed his pawn carefully into the board. 'I have accepted it is the way it must be if I am to free my people and free my son from the Goa'uld.'

'Do you have any other family?' Daniel finished a circuit and plucked Teal'c's pawn out of its hole.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at the move and threw the coin. 'I do not.'

Daniel gestured at Teal'c with the pawn he was holding. 'At least you got to say goodbye to your wife and son this time. I guess that was something.'

'Indeed.' Teal'c said as the image of his wife and son standing in the forest by the side of the path flashed through his mind.

'I think that's what I regret most about Sha're,' Daniel said quietly, 'that I didn't know that our last goodbye would be goodbye. I mean, don't get me wrong it was a great goodbye,' he smiled briefly remembering the kiss that Sha're had planted on him, 'but if I'd known…there's just so many things I would have said to her.' He noticed the barest of movements across Teal'c's face. 'Oh, I'm sorry, Teal'c…I didn't mean to…'

'You have nothing to apologise for, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c said. 'I am honoured you wish to speak with me of Sha're.'

Daniel shrugged and held Teal'c's gaze firmly. 'I don't blame you anymore, Teal'c, for what happened. With the way the Goa'uld have enslaved the Jaffa, you never truly had any more choice about what happened to Sha're than she did. I think I understand that now.'

Teal'c's eyes widened; he was staggered. The archaeologist had once thanked Teal'c for helping him to find Sha're, and he had thought at the time that it was more forgiveness than he deserved or ever thought he would receive from the other man. He had been mistaken. He took a deep breath. 'I lack the words, Daniel Jackson.'

'I'm still angry about…everything.' Daniel looked down at the game. 'But not at you.' He sighed. 'I kind of shot up a tank of infant Goa'ulds on Chulak. I was just so…' He gave a grimace and stared at his pawn. 'All I could think was that every one of those Goa'uld would grow up and take a host like Sha're; would destroy their host's lives and the lives of all those who cared for them.'

'You were correct.' Teal'c said gently.

'Maybe.' Daniel bit his lip and fiddled with one of his pawns. 'Before I did it, Sam said shooting up the tank when they were so vulnerable and helpless made us no better than the Goa'uld.' He knew he had shocked the Air Force Captain when he had opened fire; it had been clearly written into every line on her face.

'I have observed Captain Carter is protective of those she considers as innocent,' Teal'c said pushing the coin towards Daniel, 'but the Goa'uld are not innocent even in larval form.' He met Daniel's eyes firmly. 'I would have destroyed the tank in your feet.'

Daniel's lips quirked upwards and his stomach seemed suddenly untangled from its tight knot of guilt. 'Shoes, Teal'c. The saying is 'in your shoes.''

Teal'c inclined in his head.

Daniel heaved a sigh of relief. 'Thanks, Teal'c.'

'For what, Daniel Jackson?' Teal'c asked confused.

'Making me feel better.' Daniel's mouth twisted and his blue eyes settled on the Jaffa ruefully. 'I actually invited you because I thought the game would cheer _you_ up about missing your family.' He confessed.

Teal'c's dark gaze focused on the archaeologist. 'What of your family, Daniel Jackson?'

'Mine?' Daniel blinked at him in surprise. 'My parents…uh…died when I was young. My foster parents…' he caught Teal'c's flicker of confusion. 'Foster parents are guardians appointed by the government when there is no-one else around to look after a child.'

'I see.' Teal'c murmured.

'Anyway, I don't really stay in touch with my foster parents – Christmas cards, that kind of thing.' Daniel saw another flicker cross Teal'c's face and he wondered how many of their conversations had gone completely over his head. 'Christmas is a holiday here on Earth. It's part of the Christian religion supposedly to celebrate the birth of Christ. People generally send cards, exchange presents.' He moved his pawn. 'You're going to love it.'

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

'I mean, my foster parents are nice people but they're not my family, you know?' Daniel crossed his arms unconsciously hugging himself. 'I guess Sha're and her family on Abydos were the closest thing I've had to family for a while.'

'Are we not also family, Daniel Jackson?' Teal'c asked as he moved his final pawn two holes.

Daniel stared at the Jaffa across the game. 'Well, I…uh…'

'Did Colonel O'Neill not claim us as his family on Cimmeria?' Teal'c said.

'Well, yes, he did.' Daniel said throwing the coin. 'I thought at the time that he was being overly…' he couldn't think of a word – sentimental seemed too soppy a word to describe their usually brusque team leader. He gestured vaguely. 'I mean, don't get me wrong, I thought we were a team and that means something but I didn't feel like we were a family.' He paused to finish his second circuit and removed the pawn belonging to Teal'c that was closest to finishing. They each had one pawn left. 'Did you?'

Teal'c considered the question seriously. 'I did not at the time.' He admitted. 'But I have come to think of you and Colonel O'Neill as young brothers and Samantha Carter as a treasured sister.' He caught Daniel's curious blue gaze with his. 'Supporting my mission to Chulak to save my son was the act of blood kin.'

Daniel noted the use of the word young and his blue eyes narrowed on Teal'c. The Jaffa looked no more than thirty years old – if that – but their experience with Bra'tac had revealed the Jaffa were often much older than they looked. 'How old are you, Teal'c?'

'I am ninety-eight years old.' Teal'c stated moving his pawn.

'Ninety-eight.' Daniel repeated blinking at the Jaffa. 'Wow. You look good.'

Teal'c accepted the compliment with a slight nod. 'I believe Colonel O'Neill truly feels we are family also.' He commented.

'Yeah…' Daniel frowned. 'I'm not sure he has anyone else. I mean, I know he had Sara and Charlie but he's never talked much about his family otherwise.' He sighed. 'And I don't think Sam sees a lot of her family.' He saw Teal'c's curious look and waved the pawn he was in the middle of moving. 'Her father's a General and her brother lives in San Diego.'

'Then do we not provide her with protection in the absence of her male relatives?' Teal'c asked.

Daniel laughed. If anything Sam provided him with protection; he remembered her pushing him down behind the tree and covering him as her grenade exploded killing the Jaffa who were chasing them back on Chulak. 'I think Sam can take care of herself.'

'She is a skilled warrior.' Teal'c conceded.

The archaeologist focused back on Teal'c. 'I guess women aren't usually warriors on Chulak?'

'Our women are taught to fight to defend their home and their honour,' Teal'c said, 'but no Goa'uld would have female warriors amongst his Jaffa.'

Daniel raised his eyebrows. That certainly explained Bra'tac's disbelief at Sam's ability. 'You probably shouldn't mention that to Sam.' He murmured.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and moved his pawn again. 'I have wondered, Daniel Jackson…'

'What about Teal'c?' Daniel said taking hold of the coin for his throw.

'Will Captain Carter continue to fight when Colonel O'Neill takes her as his mate?'

Daniel fumbled with the coin and it slipped out of his hands and onto the floor. His mouth gaped open as Teal'c retrieved it. 'Sam isn't…Jack won't…I mean, they aren't…' he accepted the coin back and took a deep breath.

Teal'c frowned at Daniel's surprised reaction. 'Do not Captain Carter and Colonel O'Neill engage in human courtship, Daniel Jackson?'

'No!' Daniel said his tone a shade off outraged. 'They can't get involved, Teal'c. It's against regulations.'

'I see.' Teal'c's lips pressed together thoughtfully. He had observed how Captain Carter always smiled at O'Neill's jokes, jokes which seemed to be said specifically to elicit such a smile from the Captain and how the Colonel always seemed to be visiting the Captain's lab. He had thought such behaviour was a sign of courtship. 'I must be mistaken.' He said out loud.

'Yes. You must.' Daniel said absently. His own agile mind was swiftly reviewing Jack and Sam's behaviour from the viewpoint of an experienced anthropologist. If he didn't know Jack and Sam weren't allowed to fraternise he would suspect Teal'c was correct, he concluded reluctantly. There was no doubt his two friends were, at the very least, attracted to each other. He shrugged and threw the coin. Attraction or not, he knew the two officers would never cross the line or, he amended silently, he knew Sam would never cross the line and he couldn't believe Jack would do anything to hurt Sam's career. The Colonel had been extremely protective of Sam's reputation after the incident with the Neanderthal virus in the early days of the Stargate programme.

Daniel sighed as he moved his pawn realising how protective they all were of each other. 'You know, Teal'c, I was wrong; we are a family.' He gave a short laugh. 'Maybe a little dysfunctional but a family.' He met Teal'c's eyes a little hesitantly. 'I know that we'll never take the place of your actual family, Teal'c, but I hope it helps make being here easier somehow.'

'I hope it also brings you comfort, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c said.

Daniel thought about it. 'It does in a weird way.' He confirmed. 'I've never had many friends, Teal'c.' He shrugged. 'Or family really. Like I said Sha're and the Abydonians was the closest I think I came to having that but I guess being part of SG1…it means something to me.'

'To me also.' Teal'c agreed finishing the circuit and plucking Daniel's pawn from the board. A small smirk of satisfaction lifted the corners of his lips. 'I have won.'

Daniel smiled ruefully. 'Indeed.' He gestured at the board enthusiastically. 'Another game, Teal'c?'


	12. Too Close for Comfort

**Author's Notes: **Team friendship with emphasis on Jack/Daniel friendship. Suggestion of Sam/Jack.

**Fire and Water Recap:** _When Jack, Sam and Teal'c return from a mission deeply in shock and claiming Daniel Jackson is dead, the SGC mourns the young archaeologist. However, their memories have been tampered with and Daniel remains on the planet held captive by a fish-like alien, of a race known as the Oannes, called Nem. He demands Daniel tell him the fate of Omaroka, his mate, who lived on Earth during Babylonian times. _

_Back on Earth, SG1 realises something is wrong with their memories and under hypnosis, Sam is able to remember the truth. They head back to the planet just in time to be greeted by Daniel who has undergone a risky procedure to examine his memory to give the alien what he wanted. They head home as the others begin to fill Daniel in on the memorial service and wake._

**Too Close for Comfort**

Colonel Jack O'Neill bounded up the stairs to General Hammond's office not caring that he was wearing a grin as wide as his face.

Life was good.

SG1 had recovered Daniel Jackson from the fish-like alien, Nem, and brought him back very wet but very alive. The archaeologist was sleeping off his experience in a side-room in the infirmary with the other two members of SG1 watching over him. Captain Carter had set up shop with her laptop on the desk and the Jaffa, Teal'c, had surrounded himself with candles and was meditating by the side of the bed. Jack smiled wryly. The set-up kind of reminded him of how the team had closed ranks after his own experience on Argos. The smile faded a little.

The team had promised each other after Argos that they would never leave someone behind. On one level, Jack could accept their leaving Daniel had been unavoidable; they had been made to believe he was dead after all. On another, he was having difficulty forgiving himself for the lapse even if Daniel had understood it. But then only Daniel, thought Jack with more fondness than he ever would admit to having for the other man, only Daniel could make friends with the fish alien who'd held him prisoner and propose they try an alliance once everyone had recovered from the events of the previous week.

Well, Daniel might have understood Nem's motives and forgiven him but Jack wasn't Daniel. He could understand Nem's original belief that they served the Goa'uld; he could even forgive him for taking them hostage, for wanting an answer on what happened to his mate; what he couldn't forgive was the fake memory that Nem had implanted in his head of seeing Daniel engulfed in a volcanic explosion after crying out to Jack for help. Jack hadn't only left Daniel behind, he'd _believed_ he was dead. In his book, Nem's actions were unforgivable.

He knew Teal'c, the Jaffa, felt the same way; he'd said as much at the briefing when Daniel proposed the alliance; Sam had been silent on the subject which in itself spoke volumes. Daniel seemed a little bemused by their lack of support for his idea but then, Daniel hadn't spent the better part of a week grieving for one of his team-mates. Jack felt a twinge of guilt; Daniel had spent the time alone, trying to survive and placing himself in danger in order to get a resolution. They had come too close for comfort to losing him for real. He sighed.

Jack figured it was a toss up which of the experiences was worse. They were all going to have deal with what happened and move on, he thought firmly, as he crossed the briefing room. No doubt that was why he'd been paged to see the General. Doc Fraiser had probably recommended they have some kind of psych exam. Crap. He really hated those things. Jack rapped on the door and entered at the brisk order to do so, closing the door behind him. He stood at attention in front of the desk.

'General.'

Hammond couldn't stop the smile that tugged at his lips at the cheerful and slightly irreverent tone as he glanced up from the report he was reading and settled back in his red leather chair. 'Colonel, at ease.'

Jack adjusted his stance. 'Sir.'

'How's Doctor Jackson doing?' Hammond asked folding his hands across his stomach and regarding the younger man with a piercing blue stare.

'He's sleeping, sir. Captain Carter and Teal'c are with him.' Jack said. 'The Doc says he should be good to be released tomorrow morning if there's no reaction to the memory device.'

'Good, good.' Hammond gestured across his desk at the Colonel with a pen. 'Doctor Fraiser has recommended that SG1 attend a team session with Doctor Mackenzie to discuss everything that has happened.' He began. He saw the faintest hint of disgust glimmer in the brown depths of the Colonel's brown eyes before it was carefully suppressed. Hammond understood how the Colonel felt. He was an old school soldier himself. 'I've decided to hold off on that recommendation for the time being.'

Jack couldn't repress the grin. 'Thank you, sir.'

'Don't thank me yet, Colonel.' Hammond said. 'I'm simply giving you and your team an opportunity to work this out yourselves. If I, or Doctor Fraiser, determine there is a problem I will reconsider my decision.'

'Understood, sir.' Jack said and felt his own pride swell a little at the sign of his CO's confidence in his team.

'On that thought, I've decided to keep SG1 on stand down for the next two days.' Hammond said. 'I understand that Doctor Jackson's apartment was let to a new tenant soon after the Air Force notified the rental agency?'

'Yes, sir.' Jack confirmed and gestured across the desk. 'You know those rental agencies.' He didn't try to hide his disgust. 'We all thought we'd give Daniel a hand to move out. I think it might be a good first mission for the team, sir. Ease out any problems that might arise because of what happened.'

'I'd be more than happy to assign him some temporary accommodation on the base…'

'No need, sir.' Jack said interrupting. He smiled apologetically at his CO. 'I've offered the use of my spare room until he finds something else.'

Hammond harrumphed a little and Jack wondered at the slight look of dismay that appeared on the General's features for a moment. The older man leaned forward, clasping his hands on the top of the desk. 'Have a seat, Jack.'

Four words to make him more nervous than if he was facing down a whole battalion of Jaffa, Jack considered wryly as he sat down obediently and repressed the urge to grimace.

'There's something else that I need to discuss with you, Jack.' Hammond said seriously.

'If this is about your car, sir, I will pay for the damage.' Jack winced remembering how he had shattered the car window with his hockey stick at the wake he had held for Daniel. He had been so angry at the futility of Daniel's death; at his own inability to save him. He had to remind himself that it hadn't happened; that Daniel was alive and asleep a few floors away.

'As much as I'm relieved to hear that, no; it's not about my car.' The General shook his head. 'Doctor Mackenzie brought something to my attention that I thought we should discuss.' The Texan accent tinged the words with a faint air of irony.

'Oh?'

'Is there anything you think you should share with me, Jack?' Hammond asked keeping hold of the other man's bemused gaze.

'Nothing comes to mind, sir.' Jack replied truthfully.

'The end of the hypnosis session between Captain Carter and Doctor Mackenzie you insisted on sitting in on?' Hammond hinted.

The Colonel looked back at him blankly.

'You hugged Captain Carter.' Hammond said bluntly.

'Oh. That.' Jack said. 'Mackenzie actually reported that?' He asked incredulously, the first stirrings of anger drifting into his tone.

'He kept it off the record, Jack.' Hammond said mildly. 'You want to tell me what happened?'

Jack didn't but he recognised the underlying order. His brown eyes flashed warningly. 'Carter was reliving the first few moments after we got implanted with the memory of Daniel dying. She was distraught and Mackenzie,' he almost spat the name, 'wasn't bringing her out of it. I went over and grabbed her to bring her round. She was upset over the fact that we'd left Daniel behind on the damn planet with the damn fish alien, and I…' he gestured across the table, 'hugged her. Sir.'

'Well, that matches Doctor Mackenzie's account.' Hammond noted. 'He told me in his opinion that the hug was an emotional response by you both to discovering the truth about what had happened on the planet and the realisation that Doctor Jackson was still alive.'

'Then why did he mention it?' Jack asked harshly.

'Lose the attitude, Jack.' Hammond ordered sharply. 'We're all clear that the context of the…uh…hug was innocent enough. But I shouldn't need to remind you that there shouldn't be a need for us to have this discussion at all.'

'Dammit, sir, I would have done the same if it had been Daniel standing there upset and Carter stuck on the planet.' Jack retorted.

'I know that, Jack, that's part of the problem.' Hammond sighed. 'Mackenzie has a theory…'

'Another one?' Jack muttered and subsided at the look his CO shot him.

'He thinks you have an inappropriate level of closeness to those under your command.' Hammond said bluntly. He held up a hand before Jack could explode with indignation. 'He points out that your relationships with Doctor Jackson and with Teal'c are based on a personal trust rather than military roles or orders.' He waited a beat. 'He believes, in time, this will also be true of your relationship with Captain Carter.'

'It's true of any relationship in any team, sir.' Jack pointed out. 'There comes a point where you rely on someone because they're John or Bill or…or Daniel, not because they're ordered to serve with you, especially when your lives are at stake.'

'I realise that, Colonel. So does the Air Force.' Hammond replied. 'That's why there are regulations…'

'With respect, General, I don't think the Air Force regulations were designed to cover a situation like ours.' Jack said forcefully.

'Perhaps not,' Hammond allowed, 'and unlike Doctor Mackenzie, I know you'll apply those regulations appropriately.' He sighed. 'Just consider this a gentle reminder that hugging female officers under your command in front of a witness no matter how innocent the context is not good idea. I don't need to tell you after what happened between Captain MacNally and SG1 what such an incident could do to Captain Carter's career and reputation if it was taken out of context.'

'No, sir.' Jack said smartly. 'You don't need to remind me.'

Hammond raised his own eyebrows at the curt tone. 'Good. I'll leave you to inform your team of the stand down. That'll be all, Colonel.'

Jack nodded and stood up. 'Yes, sir.'

The General looked back at the Colonel's hard brown eyes and repressed the urge to sigh again. 'Dismissed.'

Jack contained his anger as he nodded at the General very properly, marched out of the office and closed the door behind him instead of giving into the desire to slam it shut.

o-O-o

Daniel shoved the last of his underwear in the dresser drawer and turned around to look at the small room. It was neater than he remembered and he wondered briefly whether Jack had tidied up in anticipation of his arrival. The last time he had stayed, just after coming back from Abydos, there had been an obstacle course of boxes between him and the bed.

He sighed and pushed a hand through his long brown hair, fiddled with his glasses and glanced across at Sam who was placing his rather meagre collection of shirts and pants into the wardrobe. Even six months after his return from Abydos, his selection of off-duty clothing was rather minimal. He sighed. As a member of SG1 he was usually on the SGC base under Cheyenne Mountain and in the uniform of the USAF despite his official status as a civilian consultant.

'I can't believe I'm here.' He muttered shoving his hands in his pockets.

Sam's blue eyes shifted from the checked shirt she held to Daniel's bemused face. 'I know I can't believe you're really alive either.'

'No, I didn't mean that, that.' He pulled a hand out of his pocket and waved it at her. 'I meant that I couldn't believe I'm _here_. At Jack's. In his spare room.'

Sam smiled at his confusion. 'I think the Colonel felt bad you'd lost your apartment because of Air Force efficiency in notifying the rental agency.'

'Yeah…' Daniel crossed his arms, 'why is it they managed to notify my rental agency of my death within twenty-four hours and yet it took them over a month to sort out paying me?'

She smiled again but didn't answer as she concentrated on hanging the last of his clothes up.

'You know I think Jack might have changed his mind about my being here.' Daniel murmured picking up a random trophy that was shoved on one of the wide shelves. It was for hockey. He put it down again.

'What makes you say that?' Sam asked. The Colonel had offered Daniel his spare room without any hesitation the day before and was busily storing the rest of Daniel's stuff in the garage with Teal'c.

Daniel shrugged. 'He just seems a little…' he struggled for a description, 'off.' He settled for eventually.

The Captain sighed. 'Your death hit him hard, Daniel.' She gestured with his shirt in her hand. 'It hit us all pretty hard.' Her eyes dimmed at the memory of Daniel's death they all still carried. She put the last shirt away and closed the door using the time to recover her own balance. She turned back to him. 'When we realised that you were still on the planet; that we'd left you behind…' she hugged herself tightly almost unconsciously at the memory of how upset she and the Colonel had been. The hug had been great though, she thought wistfully. She hadn't experienced an all-encompassing, comforting hug like the one Jack had wrapped her in at the end of the hypnosis session since her Mom had died.

'Hey.' Daniel said softly. 'You guys know I don't blame you for leaving, right?'

Sam tried a smile and moved over to the desk where another box was waiting to be unpacked. She needed to keep herself busy. 'Anyway,' she said as she started to pull books from the depths of their cardboard prison, 'I think the Colonel's just dealing with everything.' Although, she mused, he had been in a strange mood. He'd been calling her Captain or Carter all day rather than the more casual Sam he usually adopted in their off-duty hours.

'Maybe.' Daniel allowed.

Sam stopped as she registered the book she held. _Wormhole theory by Samantha Carter._ 'Oh my God. Where did you get this?'

'From the library at the base.' Daniel said crossing over to stand next to her. 'I figured if I was travelling by wormhole all the time maybe I should know more about the actual physics of it.' He smiled shyly. 'And I figured as you were the expert…'

'You really don't want to read this.' Sam said with a delighted smile as she leafed through the book. She had her own copy sat proudly in pristine condition on a shelf in her seldom used apartment. 'I mean this was my undergrad thesis and most of it's all wrong. It makes too many assumptions and…'

'I think it's fascinating.' Daniel said plucking the book from her and flipping to a section he had enjoyed. 'I mean your theories here on the…'

'If you kids are done reading, we could do with a hand in the garage.' Jack's dry voice had their heads whipping to the bedroom door and he smiled at the twin expressions of guilt. 'Daniel, Teal'c and I are having a discussion about where to put your game thing. I figured you might want to weigh in.'

'My game thing?' Daniel asked perplexed.

'Yeah, you know.' Jack demonstrated with his hands. 'Table about this big with little sticks in it.'

'The Jackals and Hounds game.' Daniel deduced.

'That's the one.' Jack said easily leading the way out.

Sam and Daniel followed after him.

'Wow.' Sam's blue eyes widened at the crammed space. 'I didn't realise you had so much stuff.'

'Me either.' Daniel admitted his gaze flitting over the carefully stacked boxes and furniture. His eyes landed on Teal'c who was guarding one particular box with all of the ferocity required of his previous employment as a First Prime in the service of a Goa'uld. 'Is that the Jackals and Hounds game?'

'It is, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c's voice rumbled across the small space. He shifted his stance, clasping his hands behind his back. 'I do not believe this location provides sufficient security for an artefact of such value.'

'I'm telling you, Teal'c, it's perfectly secure.' Jack argued. 'Nice neighbourhood. Low crime rate. It'll be fine.'

'It once belonged to the daughter of a Pharaoh.' Teal'c said firmly.

'Maybe Teal'c should take it to the base just to be on the safe side.' Sam suggested, earning a sharp look from her commanding officer.

Daniel nodded. 'Would you mind looking after it for me Teal'c?'

'I would be honoured, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c said inclining his head.

'Why don't we put the game in my car?' Sam walked over to join the Jaffa. She had volunteered to take Teal'c back to base when they finished for the day. She stooped to pick the game up but before she could grasp the box firmly, Teal'c reached down and picked it up effortlessly, swiping it out from under her. She sighed with annoyance as he walked away with it. 'I could have got that.' She grumbled under her breath.

Jack and Daniel exchanged an amused glance as they watched her stride after the Jaffa.

God, Carter filled out a pair of blue jeans nicely, mused Jack his brown eyes lingering on her legs. He caught the thought, closed his eyes and slapped his head with the palm of one hand. CO, he reminded himself firmly. He was her CO. Hammond was relying on him to set boundaries. He sighed and opened his eyes to find Daniel watching him curiously. He hurriedly cleared his throat and gestured at a box. 'Give me a hand with this will ya?'

Daniel helped Jack heft the box up onto a shelf and Jack gave a barely audible sigh of relief as everyone turned their attention back to organising the last of the boxes and furniture. Jack found his mind wandering back to his discussion with Hammond.

He still couldn't believe that Mackenzie reported the hug he'd given Sam to comfort her. If he was honest, Jack admitted to himself, the hug had been as much for him as it was for her. Hearing her relive the panic and fear of their experience after Daniel's supposed death had brought his own swirling emotions to the surface and she had seemed to understand that, simply hugging him back. It had been nice. Hell, Jack thought, it had been more than nice; it had been great. It had also been right on, and maybe just a shade over, the line drawn by the regulations, he acknowledged with a little chagrin.

Regulations.

How was he supposed to apply regulations to a six foot plus Jaffa who was part of the team because Jack had convinced him to join their side in the fight against the Goa'uld? Or Daniel who acted with the incredulity that _any_ military rules could apply to him no matter what the circumstance, never mind those which might govern his relationships with other people. And then there was Carter; the one relationship that _had_ to conform to the regulations.

Jack sighed. He'd managed after the whole Neanderthal virus wrestling match to put his attraction for her out of his head but somehow it had sneaked back in. He knew part of the reason he was pissed at Hammond's 'gentle reminder' was because in all honesty there was a large guilty part of him that had simply enjoyed having an excuse to hold her. And he shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as he had. Not as her CO. Hammond shouldn't have given him a gentle reminder; he deserved a kick up the ass, he thought harshly.

His brown eyes flitted across to where Sam was shifting the dining chairs on the other side of the garage. He didn't kid himself; any hint of impropriety and Carter's career would be shot and she so didn't deserve that. She was a good officer, one of the best he'd served with and she had a great future ahead of her. As the senior officer the onus was on him to set the boundary and ensure their relationship remained professional. He could do it, he assured himself. He could.

o-O-o

'Thanks for this, Jack.' Daniel took the proffered bottle of beer and settled back in the chair in Jack's comfortable sitting room. Sam and Teal'c had left earlier after they had helped clean up after the barbeque Jack had made to provide them with sustenance.

'For what?' Jack asked as he slumped across the sofa putting his feet up and crossing them at the ankle. It had ended up being a very good day. The team had hovered a little over Daniel but that was probably natural and would ease off over time. He took a long gulp of his beer.

'Giving me a place to stay.' Daniel said.

Jack made a face. 'It's not a big deal, Daniel. Besides it's only temporary.' His brown eyes darted to the other man. 'It is only temporary, right?'

'Right.' Daniel smiled. 'Sam's taking me out to look at apartments tomorrow.' His thumb brushed across the top of the bottle. 'You know I kind of got the impression earlier that you'd changed your mind about my staying.'

Jack caught the question in the statement and the hidden insecurity of a man whose childhood had been a succession of foster homes for the most part. 'Nah.' He answered firmly. 'I just had something on my mind earlier.'

Daniel felt the knots untie in his stomach at the obvious sincerity and turned his attention to what was bothering his friend. 'What?'

'Nothing.' Jack retorted.

'You said it was something.' Daniel pointed out with ruthless logic.

'I did not.' Jack said.

'Yes you did.' Daniel returned.

'Did not.'

'Did.'

'Not.'

'Did…'

'Ah!' Jack interrupted. 'Just…' he gestured with his bottle, 'drop it, Daniel.' He swung his legs off the sofa and stood up in a swift move that caught Daniel off guard. 'I'm going up to the roof for a while. Leave the door unlocked, OK?'

'OK.' Daniel said bemused as Jack stalked out of the house. He sighed. He shouldn't be surprised, he told himself. Jack O'Neill was a master in the art of avoidance. He waited a good half an hour before he snagged another couple of beers from the fridge and headed up the ladder to the roof. Half-way up Daniel considered the stupidity of climbing up a ladder when he had no head for heights or for drink. He pushed the thought away and continued on his mission.

Jack's gaze shot to him as soon as Daniel stumbled onto the roof.

'Brought you a beer.' Daniel said gesturing at him with one of the bottles.

Jack reached out and plucked it from Daniel. 'You'd better sit down before you fall off.' He said dryly.

Daniel nodded and carefully lowered himself to sit down beside the look-out chair Jack occupied. He stared up at the stars and the night sky. 'Wow. It's so clear up here.'

'It's called the outside, Daniel.' Jack said amused. He looked down at the other man and slipped off the seat to sit next to him on the roof, their backs resting on the old chair. 'You should try it more often.'

'We're outside all the time on missions.' Daniel said a little petulantly. He gestured with his bottle and the beer slopped out and onto the roof. He swore.

Jack's eyebrows quirked upwards. 'You're a cheap date, Daniel.'

'Yeah.' Daniel said forlornly. 'So, what's bothering you? Is it what happened this week? With me dying and everything?'

'No.' Jack immediately denied it. He sighed at Daniel's knowing expression. 'Yes.' He looked away from his friend and focused on the bottle he held. 'Not exactly.'

'So which one is it?' Daniel asked.

Jack sighed again partly in exasperation, partly in frustration. He put the bottle to his lips and tipped it back taking a long drink before he replied. 'What part of drop it don't you understand, Daniel?'

'Well, if you don't talk to me, you'll end up just having to talk to someone like Mackenzie.' Daniel stated ruthlessly bringing out his ace.

Jack was tempted to sigh again and it didn't help that he knew Daniel had a point. He gestured with his bottle. 'Mackenzie told Hammond he thought I was closer to you guys than I should be.'

Daniel frowned. 'Why?'

'Why?' Jack repeated. There was no way on Earth he was telling Daniel about hugging Carter; no way. 'Because.' He said impatiently.

'That's not an answer, Jack.' Daniel said with a laugh.

'You know there are Air Force rules governing the behaviour of an officer with his team, Daniel.' Jack said. 'Well, Mackenzie thinks I've stepped over the line.'

'That's because his assumption isn't right.' Daniel said.

Jack stared at him trying to figure out what assumption the archaeologist meant. He gave up. 'What?'

Daniel waved his beer bottle wildly. 'He's assuming we're a military team; we're not.' He took a sip of beer. 'I mean, we're a team and we work for the Air Force but we're not a military team. We're a family.'

'A family, huh?' Jack asked edging into amusement at the other man's slight inebriation.

'Sure. Teal'c and I talked about it last week. We're a family. You try to impose the same regulations on us as you would a military officer and you wouldn't get the best out of us. That's why you don't do it.'

'Carter's military.' Jack said before he could stop himself.

Daniel's blue eyes zeroed in on Jack like a strike missile. 'Sam?' His agile mind put together the pieces. 'Something happened with Sam and you, didn't it?'

'Nothing happened with me and Sam.' Jack denied, shifting uncomfortably.

Daniel looked at him pointedly.

'OK,' Jack admitted with a grumpy sigh avoiding Daniel's eyes, 'we might have hugged.'

'You hugged her?' Daniel said incredulously. He pushed his glasses up his nose. Teal'c had raised the possibility that their two team-mates might be as the Jaffa had put it 'engaging in human courtship' but Daniel had dismissed the idea. Maybe the Jaffa had been right.

'It wasn't what you think.' Jack said quickly. 'She underwent hypnosis so we could work out what really happened on the planet. She got to the part where we had just 'witnessed'' he made quotation marks with his fingers, 'your death and were escaping from the planet. She was upset, screaming, and Mackenzie was just sitting there.' He sighed. 'I grabbed her to bring her out of it and then…' his brown eyes stayed fixed to the bottle he held, 'she was just so upset about leaving you behind and so was I.' He sighed. 'I hugged her without even thinking about it.'

Daniel frowned. 'So what's the problem?'

'Mackenzie reported the hug to Hammond.' Jack said.

The younger man rolled his eyes. It was like pulling teeth, he thought. 'What did Hammond say?'

'That I shouldn't be hugging Carter in front of witnesses no matter how innocent the context and that he trusted that I would apply the regulations appropriately with the team.' Jack summarised briefly.

'So Hammond basically told you it was OK to hug Sam if the context was innocent just not to do it in front of witnesses and that he trusted you to know how to the set boundaries with her and the rest of your team.' Daniel ended breathlessly.

Jack lowered his beer. He hadn't really considered that as a possible interpretation of Hammond's words. 'I guess.' He said uncertainly.

'Maybe you're making too much of it.' Daniel said.

Maybe he was, Jack thought. Maybe because he knew deep down he was attracted to Sam he was making a bigger deal about Hammond's gentle reminder over what had been a comforting gesture he would have given to anyone. Well, maybe not Teal'c. Or Hammond.

Jack went over the conversation with Hammond in his mind. The General had shown that he had every confidence in his leadership, Jack realised with a start. _'I know you'll apply those regulations appropriately.'_ Maybe Hammond hadn't been inferring that Jack hadn't been applying the regulations appropriately to date; maybe he'd actually been telling him that as far as the General was concerned he had been applying the regulations appropriately and would continue to do so. He took a gulp of his beer and felt the tension in his shoulders and gut, that he'd carried with him since his session in Hammond's office, dissipate.

Daniel shifted beside him and Jack looked over at his friend fondly. 'It's good to have you back, Daniel.'

'It's good to be back.' Daniel looked down at his beer. 'I thought…I mean there were times back on the planet…I thought there was a real possibility I wasn't going to make it.' He confessed his voice broke a little and he was surprised at the sudden rush of emotion that flooded his eyes with tears and clogged up the back of his throat.

Jack glanced over at the younger man and without thinking threw an arm around him. He pushed Daniel's head down onto his own chest cradling him like he'd done his own son in the past as Daniel broke down.

Eventually Daniel pulled back and swiped at his nose with his sleeve.

Jack sighed and reached into his pocket. He brought out a tissue. 'It's clean.' He said as he handed it over.

'Thanks.' Daniel said. His voice slightly muffled by the tissue as he blew his nose and scrubbed at his wet cheeks under his glasses. 'Sorry.'

'Feel better?' Jack asked without any of his usual flippancy.

Daniel considered the question for a long moment. 'Yeah, actually I do.' He folded his arms around his body. 'I guess it affected me more than I realised.'

'It's going to take a while for us all to get over this.' Jack said drinking down the last of his beer. 'But we will.' His tone was confident.

'Yeah, we will.' Daniel said, meeting his eyes firmly.

Jack's eyes gleamed with sudden amusement. 'Teal'c might hover though.'

'Just Teal'c?' Daniel asked dryly.

'Maybe Sam too.' Jack allowed.

'Not you?'

'Well, I'm getting used to you coming back from the dead.' Jack said.

'I didn't come back from the dead, Jack.' Daniel said huffily.

'Yes you did.'

'No I didn't.'

'Daniel, we had a memorial service.' Jack said.

'Because you _thought _I was dead not because I was.' Daniel retorted.

'So, by my reckoning you've died and come back three times now.' Jack said blithely ignoring him.

Daniel glared at him.

Jack grinned and raised his now empty beer bottle. 'Still glad to be back?'


	13. Nightmares

**Author's Note:** Sam/Janet friendship. Jack/Daniel friendship. Daniel/Team friendship. Mild references to adult situations.

**Hathor Recap:** _A discovery in a Mayan pyramid of a sarcophagus releases the Goa'uld Hathor from captivity. When she arrives at the SGC, the men one by one fall under her spell. It is left to Sam, Janet, an unaffected Teal'c and a small group of female personnel to free the base. _

_After rescuing Jack, who Hathor had turned into a Jaffa, and healing him in the sarcophagus, Sam is finally able to get the upper hand in the battle, but unfortunately Hathor is able to escape through the Stargate to Chulak. With the crisis averted, Hammond tells a stunned Sam and Janet that he is putting them forward for a commendation. _

**Nightmares**

'Thanks so much for staying over.' Doctor Janet Fraiser turned to the blonde Air Force Captain behind her and gave a tired smile. It had been a long day. A standard morning filled with gate travel checks and ad hoc injuries had given way to an all-out fight against the Goa'uld Hathor in the afternoon; a fight that had set the women on the base against the men and had resulted in Janet being shot. She looked down at her sling ruefully and missed the smile on her companion's face.

Samantha Carter closed the front door and locked it. 'Just remember this moment the next time you try to restrict me to the infirmary.' She joked. Janet's refusal to stay in her own infirmary amused her. Doctor Warner had only released her on the proviso that she had someone stay with her; Sam had volunteered. She had always liked the petite doctor and enjoyed working with her but somehow the events of the day had cemented the embryonic friendship between them.

Janet rolled her brown eyes expressively. 'Doctors make the worst patients, haven't you heard?' She led the way into her house switching on lights as she went. She was headed to the kitchen.

Sam dumped her overnight bag in the hall and followed the doctor. She found her wrestling with a milk carton which wasn't going well given Janet was one-handed. 'Here. Let me get that.'

'Thanks.' Janet relinquished her place. She slid into a wooden dining chair and watched the other woman open the carton, dump the contents in the pan Janet had put out ready and set it on the stove. 'I thought some warm milk might help me relax before I head up to bed.'

'What about your painkillers?' Sam asked, slightly amused at the turn around of roles.

'I've got some to take.' Janet admitted, easing her arm out of the sling. 'Hopefully, the combination will knock me out.' She gestured with a nod of her head at Sam. 'What about you?'

'I'm good.' Sam said, crossing her arms as she leaned back against the kitchen counter.

Janet's medical eye ran over the too bright eyes and flushed cheeks. The Captain was probably still coming down from the adrenaline high of the battle and the heady sense of achievement, she mused, and no wonder. The commendation recommendation from the General and the approval of the Captain's CO, Colonel O'Neill, had almost sent the younger woman spinning into the stratosphere with pride and delight. There was no doubt in Janet's mind that the latter was the one Sam had most wanted and appreciated. She had positively glowed when Colonel O'Neill had invited them both to dinner with the rest of SG1 to ostensibly celebrate their victory and the commendation.

The meal at O'Malley's had been a nice end to the day, Janet mused. The SG1 team were an interesting bunch and Janet wasn't averse to spending the evening with three cute guys even when one of them was a ninety-eight year old Jaffa. She winced. Teal'c had hardly shown any signs of his injuries unlike her, she thought wryly, but then he had the assistance of a Goa'uld larva to help him heal and despite the pain she was in, Janet figured it would be a cold day in hell before she volunteered to have a Goa'uld inside of her. She wouldn't have minded a go in the sarcophagus though. It was a shame Hathor had blown it up.

The dull thud of a mug hitting the surface of the table beside her had her looking up in startled realisation that she had drifted off into her own thoughts. 'Sorry.' Janet said as she grasped the mug and blew on the milk to cool it slightly before taking a sip.

Sam slipped into the chair opposite her. 'You seemed miles away.'

Janet noticed Sam had poured herself a mug of warm milk with silent approval. 'I was thinking about the sarcophagus.' She admitted.

'Yeah.' Sam sighed. 'I would have loved to have gotten a look at what makes one of those things tick.'

The doctor smiled at the calculating look in Sam's blue eyes. Her godson had gotten the same look in his eye just before he had taken the toaster apart. 'Personally I wouldn't have minded a go in it.'

Sam smiled sympathetically. 'I can't believe it managed to heal Colonel O'Neill.'

Janet nodded and took another sip of milk. 'I know.' She grimaced remembering the flaps of flesh in the Colonel's abdomen indicative of a Jaffa Goa'uld pouch. She'd had the dubious honour of sticking her hand in to ensure a larva hadn't entered it. She sighed. Her memories were more vivid than the Colonel's. It seemed the drug Hathor had used to control the men had made their memories of what had happened vague and fuzzy. Janet figured that was a good thing.

'I've lost you again.' Sam said wryly.

Janet smiled apologetically. 'I was just thinking it was a good thing that the guys don't really remember much of what happened to them.'

'Yeah.' Sam agreed, shifting her position a little. Her hand stroked the warm ceramic of the mug she held. As frustrating as it was for the guys not to remember, she knew it was probably better if they didn't. 'They seem to be handling what they do remember OK.'

Janet nodded. 'Although I wouldn't be surprised if we some fallout in the next couple of days.' Her lips twisted wryly. 'I can see the testosterone levels rising as the men try to prove they are men.'

Sam made a face. 'Great. I think I'm glad we have that mission to P8X987 to join SG7.' She was looking forward to getting back to normal. The mission to observe a black hole during an eclipse would be SG1's first after their encounter with a fish-like alien who had made them believe Daniel had died while he had kept the archaeologist hostage. Their recall to the base with the delivery of the sarcophagus had effectively brought them off stand down a day early.

'That's if the gate room's cleared up in time.' Janet murmured.

'Right. I think the General plans…' Sam stopped as she caught the pain gleam momentarily in Janet's brown eyes. 'You should probably head up to bed. You have to be wiped out.'

'Pretty much.' Janet admitted. Her eyes fell on Sam. 'You should get some rest too. From what the Colonel said you took a quite a blow from Hathor back in the locker room.'

Sam shrugged. 'Just some bruises. I'm fine.' She saw the sceptical look creep across the doctor's face. 'But you're right.' She said hurriedly. 'I am tired. I'll just clear up down here first.'

Janet nodded slowly. 'Spare room's on the left at the top of the stairs. Bathroom's across the hall. It's all made up so…'

'I'll be fine, Janet.' Sam said. 'Do you need a hand?'

Janet shook her head. 'I'll see you in the morning. 'Night.'

'Night.' Sam replied. She waited until Janet had gone upstairs before she got up from the table and cleared away the small amount of debris from making the milk. She wiped the surfaces off and threw the cloth back in the sink before turning round to stare at the empty kitchen.

She was buzzed.

If she'd been in her own home she would have taken her motorcycle out, she mused. Ridden off some of the energy. She sighed, poured a glass of water and headed out of the kitchen. She followed Janet's instructions and easily found the spare room. She prepared for bed, visited the bathroom and paused on the landing; the light was off beneath Janet's door.

Sam shook her head. The doctor had to be exhausted. She closed the door on the pretty blue and yellow room she was staying in and climbed into the bed. It was extremely comfortable and Sam surprised herself with an unexpected yawn. She snapped the light off and burrowed under the covers.

The events of the day flashed through her head and she found her mind ticking over everything that had happened. She sighed. Thank God, Daniel didn't remember much. She didn't think he'd want to dwell on his acquiescence to Hathor's every whim and especially on how the Goa'uld had extracted Daniel's DNA to make Goa'uld infants. She pulled a face as she remembered how she had found him almost comatose with shock in Hathor's quarters. Had Hathor used some technology to extract his DNA or had they…? Sam shivered. She hoped for Daniel's sake it was the former although either way, Daniel had effectively been raped although she doubted he would categorise it as such.

As a woman in a frontline team, Sam was under no illusion that she ran the risk of rape every time she stepped through the gate. It was a brutal form of torture and, with a woman, the most direct form of subjugation. She had been lucky so far, Sam considered. Her early experience with the Shavadai and the warlord Turghan had been the only real moment of danger for her. There was no doubt in her mind that Turghan would have raped her if her team hadn't shown up to rescue her. But all in all she had been luckier than her male team members.

It could be argued the Colonel had been raped on Argos even if Kynthia had believed the acceptance of the cake was consent; Jack hadn't _known_ what the cake represented. She rubbed her nose. Given the Colonel's attitude afterwards towards Kynthia, Sam figured he didn't consider his experience to be rape, not that he had ever volunteered the information and not that she would ever ask. She sighed heavily and turned in the bed. She could only hope Daniel would be able to come to terms with his experience however he decided to view it personally. All she could do was be there for him, she mused.

She felt a wave of guilt at not having prevented it – whatever _it_ was – from happening. She should have acted sooner, she thought regretfully. She shouldn't have waited until the Colonel's dismissal of her concerns had sent her in a huff to look up Hathor for herself; she should have done it after Daniel had brought Hathor to the briefing room and the whole bizarre introduction of her to the rest of them. She sighed again and pleated the quilt between her fingers. Maybe if she had acted sooner, she could have prevented what had happened to Daniel and to the Colonel. Jack had looked just as shell-shocked at being made a Jaffa as Daniel had about what had happened to him.

She altered position again and stared sightlessly up at the ceiling. The day had given her a better understanding of the pressures that the Colonel operated under on a daily basis, she realised ruefully. She had led teams before in exercises and quite often on scientific projects but never in a real battle situation. Suddenly finding herself as the ranking officer in charge of a small team of female personnel trying to win back the base from a Goa'uld had been a little daunting. Thank God, she'd had Teal'c and Janet helping her; the Jaffa's steady presence had calmed her as had Janet's slightly older and wiser head. Sam was able to admit, if only to herself, that when the sarcophagus had cured Colonel O'Neill of Hathor's control along with the rest of his physiology, she could quite happily have cheered; it had been a relief to hand the mantle of 'leader' back to him. She wasn't quite ready for it, she mused; maybe in a couple of years. At least she was learning from the best; she had a renewed respect for her CO and it would seem he had a renewed respect for her.

The smile crept across her face before she could stop it. _'Nice job.'_ The simple two words rang through her mind and she hugged the quilt to her. Sam knew the Colonel had doubted her abilities when she'd first been assigned to SG1 and she had worked hard to gain his approval especially as she had been the only member of the team that he hadn't chosen himself. Logically she had known for a while that her CO had changed his opinion of her. It had been evident in the small things; the way he automatically turned to her to fix something, or for an opinion; the steady confidence in her that he displayed when he gave her an order; the increased tolerance for her technobabble; the way their relationship had shifted away from the rigid formality that had edged their first few months of working together. But, she realised, that moment in the locker room when Colonel O'Neill had uttered those two little words had been the first time she had _felt_ deep down in her bones like she had his unequivocal approval. The warm brown gaze looking over at her proudly hadn't hurt either.

Sam sighed and turned over again. OK, so it was hard not to notice her CO was an attractive guy. He was in good shape as the smooth plane of his stomach had aptly demonstrated when she had checked to ensure the Jaffa pouch had been eliminated by the sarcophagus. He had a face that spoke of a life rich with experience and a personality filled with character and those eyes…she shifted restlessly. This was wrong. He was her CO. They couldn't have a relationship. The thought froze her into stillness.

She frowned. Where had that come from? Sure, she found him attractive, respected the hell out of him and, on a personal level, liked him – he was a smart, charming and funny guy beneath all the layers of military soldier – but a relationship? Sure he might flirt with her a little but it meant nothing because it had to mean nothing; the regulations would never allow anything else. Actually, she thought, if she did want to engage in a little harmless flirting, the Colonel was probably the safest option. She shook her head. She was going crazy. Or maybe she was developing a crush. Oh, that was so bad. Take a step away from _that_ precipice, Sam, she told herself firmly. No crush. Not on the Colonel. Why couldn't she be attracted to Daniel? No, that was just as bad – he was married as was Teal'c.

She started to giggle; the thought of her being attracted to the Jaffa striking her as deeply funny. God, she liked older men but a ninety-eight year old was probably pushing it a little. The fit of laughter settled her and she turned over in the bed again, snuggling purposely and with determination into the pillow. She was having a mad moment, she decided, just because she finally felt like the Colonel truly, completely and whole-heartedly accepted her. That's all it was. She drifted off to sleep replaying his words in her head again.

o-O-o

Jack O'Neill's eyes snapped wide open and stared sightlessly at the shadows in his bedroom as he tried to regain his breath. Awareness came back with swift brutality and his hands immediately went to his stomach, pulling up the sweat-stained cotton of his t-shirt to stroke trembling over the intact flesh and skin. No pouch. He wasn't a Jaffa. The words repeated in his head like a talismanic chant. He pushed the covers back and sat for a moment on the side of the bed. He rubbed his hands over his face.

The nightmare was worse because he knew with a surety borne of his soul that it wasn't a nightmare; it was the memory of what had happened that day unburied from his subconscious in sleep. Or maybe the fog left over from whatever drug Hathor had used to control them had worn off. Either way he could remember the day with the detail written vivid and graphic in his mind. He could remember her touch in the briefing room; suddenly looking at her and thinking incongruously that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen when only a moment before he'd been wondering whether Hammond and Daniel had caught the crazy bug. He winced.

He remembered the way he had brushed off Carter's concerns about Hathor but how the conversation had prompted him to go to the Goa'uld; '_You have me a little off balance.'_ Off balance. He clasped his head hard as the feel of her as she pulled him into an embrace and the searing pain in his gut that had followed shot back into his mind. He got to his feet and stumbled across the hall into the bathroom. He retched into the sink until he didn't think he had a stomach lining left. He cleaned up, brushed his teeth and splashed cold water on his face. Well, getting back to sleep was probably not going to happen, Jack thought reviewing his tired expression in the mirror. He couldn't resist the urge to check his stomach again; he lifted the t-shirt and lowered the waistband of the pyjama bottoms he wore. Still not a Jaffa. He sighed and left the bathroom, snapping off the light.

He stilled in the corridor. Something was wrong. His brown eyes narrowed as he checked the darkness. The door to the spare room; it was open. He frowned. Daniel was staying with him while he found somewhere to live after losing his apartment during the brief time he had been believed dead on their last mission. If he had remembered what had happened with Hathor then there was the real possibility that Daniel had too, Jack realised. Damn. He took the two steps to bring him flush with the door. He pushed it open with a finger. The empty bed had him whirling around to check the rest of the house.

Crap. Daniel wasn't anywhere inside. Jack grabbed his coat, shoved his hands into it and opened the front door. He was about to make a cursory check of the garden when some instinct had him looking up to the roof. He froze. Daniel stood on the edge by the telescope Jack had set-up. Damn, damn, damn. Jack raced back into the house and picked up his cell phone. He hit the speed dial.

'Colonel?' Carter's voice was sleepy but curious.

'Carter, you're staying with Fraiser right?'

'Yes, sir.' Sam replied back instinctively responding to the commanding tone in his.

'Wake her up and get her over here pronto. I think Daniel's remembered what happened with Hathor.' Jack ended the call before she could respond.

He hurried out and made his way up the ladder. He slowed as he stepped onto the roof. Daniel was standing right on the edge and he didn't want to alarm the other man and cause him to lose his footing.

'Daniel.' Jack cleared his throat. 'Whatcha doing up here?'

The other man didn't reply; he just continued to stare out at the night sky. Jack could see Daniel was still dressed in his sleepwear; pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt, his arms were wrapped tightly around himself. His face gleamed white in the darkness; the sharp angles looking tight and pinched. He was without his glasses and his blue eyes seemed dark and glazed in the moonlight.

'Why don't you come down?' Jack coaxed softly. 'You have to be cold up here.'

Nothing.

Jack sighed and moved a step closer; just close enough that if Daniel slipped or…or…slipped, Jack thought firmly, he would be able to grab him. He settled into wait and prayed Carter would turn up with Fraiser quickly.

It was another tense fifteen minutes before Jack heard the squeal of brakes in his driveway and the sound of car doors opening and slamming shut. He glanced over at Daniel. He stood stock-still with only the faintest of dazed expressions on his face. Jack had tried talking to him again but he couldn't get a response.

His eyes flickered over to the ladder at the sound of someone approaching and he breathed out deeply when he saw Sam. She had obviously responded to the urgency in his voice because she hadn't bothered smoothing her blonde hair which was mussed from sleep and she was wearing the female version of his and Daniel's sleepwear – a simple vest top over matching pyjama bottoms. Her feet were incongruously clothed in sneakers. Jack looked down at his and Daniel's bare feet. Shoes. He should have thought of that.

'Sir.' Sam kept her voice low. 'What happened?'

'The damn drug wore off and we remembered everything.' Jack growled frustrated. He shoved his hand through his hair. 'He won't talk to me.' He hated the slight note of panic that had crept into his words.

'Let me try, sir. Janet thinks he's probably just deeply in shock.'

'Where's Fraiser?' Jack asked impatiently.

'On the ground, sir. She can't come up the ladder with her arm.' Sam moved slightly more towards Daniel and Jack had to stop himself from reaching out and pulling her back. 'Daniel.' She took another step. 'It's me, Sam.'

Jack saw the flicker of recognition hit the other man's features. Thank God, Jack thought, she was actually getting through to him.

'Sam?' Daniel's querulous tone was more suited to a young child than a grown man but Jack would take it.

'Yes and the Colonel's right here with me too.' Sam said. 'What are you doing up here?'

Daniel looked back at them and then back out at the night sky. His jaw worked for a long moment. 'Dream.' He managed eventually. He shook his head violently and the movement caused him to slip.

He teetered perilously on the edge, arms waving wildly.

Jack and Sam both reached forward and snatched him back. The momentum had them all falling back on the roof's hard surface in a tangle of arms and legs.

Sam started to breath again. 'Are you alright, sir?'

'Peachy.' Jack said, recovering his own breath. 'Give me a hand here, Carter.' He held a hand out and she helped pull him to his feet. They both reached down to help Daniel and they manoeuvred him down the ladder where Janet met them with a warm blanket that she threw over Daniel's shoulders.

'Help me get him into the car.' She said. 'I've informed the base to expect us.'

Jack adjusted the blanket more firmly around Daniel and walked him over to the doctor's sedan lowering him into a back seat.

Sam ran round to get into the driver's seat and Jack saw Janet move to sit next to her patient leaving the front passenger seat for him. He climbed in wearily. He flipped open his cell phone as they set off.

'We've already called the base and asked General Hammond to recall all male personnel, sir.' Sam said seeing the move.

Jack closed his phone. 'Good thinking.' He sneaked a glance into the back. Daniel was staring out of the side window ignoring Janet as she resolutely checked his vitals despite her handicap. 'How is he?'

Janet gave a little shake of her head as though to say 'not here.'

Jack sighed and turned his attention back to the road. He wondered how fast Sam was going as the dark tarmac whizzed past and his eyes flickered to the speedometer. They widened abruptly. 'Carter, you're speeding. A lot.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam didn't take her eyes off the road and her hands remained steady on the steering wheel. 'Don't worry, sir. I used to race speed cars when I was younger.'

'Of course you did.' Jack muttered.

'Sir, exactly what happened?' Janet asked.

'I think the drug wore off while we were sleeping.' Jack answered briefly. 'I woke up from a nightmare and I knew I'd just been reliving the past day.' He couldn't prevent the small pat of his stomach. Not a Jaffa. 'I got up. Discovered Daniel's bed was empty. I called Carter. You know the rest.'

'Janet, when Daniel came to on the roof briefly he said 'dream' when we asked him what he was doing up there.' Sam added. 'If he did remember everything that happened…' her eyes met Janet's in the rear view mirror.

'What?' Jack asked seeing the exchange.

'Not now, Colonel.' Janet said firmly.

Jack turned around to argue with her and at the stern look in her eyes subsided. The rest of the journey was made in silence. The entrance to the base was still relatively clear and Jack breathed a sigh of relief. They were greeted by Teal'c and two of Janet's staff. Daniel was placed firmly on a gurney before being rushed down to the infirmary. Teal'c and Sam were kindly but firmly told to wait outside as the medical staff attended to Daniel while Jack was escorted protesting into another examination room for his own check-up.

He rejoined them twenty minutes later, looking disgruntled and grumpy. Teal'c was stood at attention by the infirmary door. Sam rested against the wall opposite, her arms crossed over her chest tightly. Jack took a section of wall next to her, leaning his shoulder tiredly on the concrete.

'Any news?' He asked.

Sam shook her head and adjusted her stance a little. 'No, sir.'

Jack looked over at her and her lack of apparel hit him full force. Up on the roof with the danger of Daniel falling he'd been able to ignore that she wore only her sleepwear. He cleared his throat and offered her the jacket he was carrying. 'You have to be cold, Carter.'

Sam looked at him a little startled. She hadn't noticed the cold on the roof or when driving but standing in the corridor she had become more and more aware of her lack of clothing. 'Yes, sir. Thank you.' She took the jacket and put it on gratefully.

'You should remember to pick up a coat next time.' Jack said idly.

'If you remember to pick up shoes, sir.' Sam responded with a smile.

Jack looked down at his still bare feet and smiled ruefully. He was saved from a reply by the infirmary door opening and the nurse ushering them inside.

Janet beckoned them over to the bed where Daniel was curled up. 'We've sedated him. He's sleeping.' She sighed. 'We're hoping he'll be slightly more responsive when he wakes up.'

'Do you think this shock has something to do with what he said about that Goa'uld DNA being mostly his?' Jack asked bluntly.

Janet and Sam exchanged a look.

'Quite honestly, we don't know, sir. Anything we say would be a guess.' Janet replied.

'Daniel Jackson spent a great deal of time alone with Hathor.' Teal'c commented. 'We are unable to determine exactly what may have occurred between them.'

Janet sighed. 'I'm going to move Daniel to a side room. The first recalled personnel have started arriving topside and we're going to get really busy in here.' She looked at them ruefully. 'I won't have the staff to sit with Doctor Jackson so…'

Jack waved at her. 'We'll sit with him.'

Teal'c nodded. 'Indeed.' He turned his attention to his team-mates. 'I will watch Daniel Jackson while you and Captain Carter use this time to change, O'Neill.'

Jack looked over at Sam wryly; guess that told them. 'Right, Teal'c.'

In the end, with the base routine disturbed, one or two of them were pulled from their vigil occasionally to deal with some other task; both Sam and Jack took a shift in charge of the gate room; Sam went off to deal with an explosion in one of the labs and Teal'c was called into gate room guard duty. When Daniel finally stirred, Jack was pleased to find himself alone with the archaeologist.

'Hey.' Jack leaned forward.

Daniel's blue eyes blinked at him and he rubbed his hand over his face. 'Jack?' His face creased in confusion. Why was he in the infirmary? Recollection was swift. Hathor. The dream. The roof. Hathor. He gave a small moan of embarrassment and turned his face into the pillow.

'You remember…' Jack gestured awkwardly, 'everything?'

'Yeah.' Daniel mumbled. 'Everything.'

'Look, Daniel,' Jack began determinedly.

'Don't.' Daniel begged.

'I know how you're feeling here.'

'Jack.' He burrowed further under the covers.

'Remember Argos, Daniel?' Jack asked.

Daniel peeked over the covers. 'Argos? What's Argos got to do with this?'

'Kynthia? The cake?' Jack said waving his hands. 'Ring any bells?'

'Oh.' Daniel struggled with the covers and sat up. His blurry eyes met Jack's. He frowned. 'But afterwards, I mean, not immediately afterwards, but,' he gestured, 'afterwards, you seemed fine about what happened.'

'Well, I wasn't.' Jack confessed. 'Exactly.' Daniel looked at him with concern. Jack sighed. There was no doubt in his mind that Daniel was now diverted onto what had happened with Jack and had stopped dwelling at least for a moment on his own experience with Hathor. That had been Jack's intention but it didn't stop him squirming in his chair. 'I was embarrassed, Daniel. I'm a seasoned veteran and I got taken in by a pretty face.'

'You can't blame yourself for what happened.' Daniel stated.

'You're not?' Jack shot back.

Daniel flushed.

'You didn't have a choice, Daniel.' Jack said. 'I did, at least, choose to eat the cake.'

'You didn't know it was drugged.' Daniel pointed out.

'No I didn't.' Jack admitted. 'And you had no way of knowing the crazy lady you were trying to be nice to was really a Goa'uld who was about to drug you.'

'At least Kynthia didn't mean to…'

'To what? Rape me?' He said bluntly causing Daniel to flinch. 'And yet that's what she did.'

Daniel was looking anywhere but at him and Jack was absurdly grateful. It was the first time he had actually come right out and actually voiced the truth about what had happened to him on Argos. 'Look, I'm not saying my experience was exactly the same as yours but on the basics…I understand.'

'Hathor. She…' Daniel thrust his hair into his hands and flushed bright red again. 'We…'

'I know.' Jack said quietly.

'Does everybody know?' Daniel asked, slumping back on his pillows.

'I think Sam and Teal'c have an idea. The Doc.' Jack shrugged. 'No one else.'

Daniel gave a huge sigh and looked over at him. 'How did you…' he gestured, 'afterwards?'

Jack shrugged. 'I convinced myself that I'd eaten the cake so as far as local custom was concerned I consented therefore I consented so what happened wasn't…' he struggled to say the word again.

'Rape.' Daniel supplied.

Jack nodded. 'Fraiser had a lovely term for it: non-consensual sex.'

'Great.' Daniel muttered. He tried it out in his head. He had engaged in non-consensual sex with Hathor. 'I thought she was Sha're. In my head. When it happened.' He closed his eyes. He clapped his hands over his face and groaned. 'God, I can't even stay faithful to my wife!'

'Getting raped isn't being unfaithful, Daniel.' Jack said forcefully. 'You know that.'

'What about on the Land of Light with Melosia?' Daniel reminded him.

'You were under the influence of an alien virus, Daniel.' Jack said. 'Carter and I almost ended up having sex that time. If I'd succumbed to the virus a couple of hours earlier at the same time she did, we probably would have.'

'So did not need that image.' Daniel mumbled. He lowered his hands. 'As cliché as this sounds I think I want a shower.'

'Down the hall.' Jack replied simply.

Daniel nodded and shoved the covers back. He stopped suddenly and frowned. 'Did you remember what happened to you yesterday?'

'Being turned into a Jaffa?' Jack asked dryly. 'Oh yeah.' He shrugged. 'Freaked me right out.'

'Yeah.' Daniel saw Jack's hand slide towards his stomach surreptitiously and suppressed his smile, sympathetic though it was. 'I'm…' he waved a hand in the direction of the door.

'You know Fraiser told me after Argos that I should talk to someone. She'll probably make you the same offer.' Jack said casually as he stood up.

Daniel paused with his hand on the door handle. 'I thought I was talking to someone.' He said catching Jack's gaze firmly.

Jack nodded in understanding.

'Thanks, Jack.' Daniel said quietly.

Jack shrugged. 'You should really thank Carter.' He caught Daniel's questioning gaze. 'If it wasn't for her we'd be living our nightmares.'

Daniel shuddered. 'I don't even want to think about it.' He said as they stepped out into the corridor.

'Me either.' Jack admitted. 'Me either.' His hand slipped over his stomach one last time.


	14. Alone

**Author's Note:** Sam/Jacob relationship. Sam/Teal'c friendship. Sam/Team friendship.

**Singularity Recap:** _SG1 return to Hanka to observe a black hole during an eclipse but when they get there the whole population bar one small girl, Cassandra, seems to have died in a deadly outbreak of a bacterial infection. Cassandra bonds quickly to Sam and they return to Earth leaving O'Neill and Teal'c to photograph the black hole. On Earth, Cassie's condition deteriorates and they discover there is a bomb implanted in her. They prepare to take her back to Hanka._

_Meanwhile, O'Neill and Teal'c come under attack from the Goa'uld Nirtii on Hanka. Teal'c realises Cassie is a bomb designed to explode when she enters the Stargate. They arrive back just in time to stop Sam from returning with Cassie._

_The team take an unconscious Cassie to an underground nuclear storage facility, where Sam takes her in an elevator to the basement; half-way down Cassie wakes up and a tearful Sam has to leave her in a vault. Sam is very upset but in the elevator a thought occurs to her and she goes back down. She disobeys a direct order to leave Cassie, staying with her in the vault. The rest of SG1 wait anxiously at the top as the minutes tick by and the time for the explosion passes. Sam confirms they are still alive – she had worked out that the device was designed to go off in proximity to the Stargate; once Cassie was far enough away from it, the bomb began to break down harmlessly._

_The team take Cassie to a park where Jack presents her with a dog. Sam tells them that she won't adopt Cassie but Janet might before she has a talk with Cassie about keeping the Stargate a secret._

**Alone**

Samantha Carter, doctor of theoretical astrophysics and Air Force Captain, entered her home tiredly. She took a moment to throw the lock and place the chain across the door before she turned and simply leaned against the wood. Sam sighed at the silence that greeted her and pushed off the door. She wandered into the open plan living space with her mail clutched in one hand, and glanced around as though for the first time.

A small kitchenette took up the right with its uniform line of cupboards against one wall and a breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from a tiny dining area that had a small round table, which was covered in a stack of reference books, and two chairs. The kitchen counters were clean; the stove spotless. She couldn't remember the last time she had cooked. Two forlorn cat dishes sat empty on the floor; Schrödinger, her cat was being cared for by a neighbour. She was contemplating whether to offer the old lady permanent ownership.

The small living area had a simple two-seater leather sofa and a large coffee table with a television set in the corner. There were a couple of scatter cushions on the sofa along with an old woollen throw but they were the only nod at comfort and homeliness in the entire space. Her blue eyes fell on the framed prints that were stacked against the far wall on the ground. They had been there since she had moved in; she hadn't gotten around to putting them up. The door to her bedroom was shut and she knew if she opened it she would see more of the same; a bed covered with utilitarian linen, clothes hung in military discipline in her wardrobe or folded into her dresser and only an old quilt of her maternal grandmother's, her battered childhood bear on a chair and her musical jewellery box – the last gift her mother had given her – to soften the overall effect.

For the first time since she had moved into the apartment, it felt uninviting and sterile. Not like Janet Fraiser's house, Sam mused. She had noticed when she dropped off Cassie, the young girl they had just rescued from Hanka, from their day at the park just how warm and welcoming Janet's house was. It would be a great home for Cassie; the SGC CMO had confirmed to Sam that she had asked General Hammond for permission to adopt the little girl. She was pleased for Janet and for Cassie, Sam thought determinedly. They would make a great family. She shrugged off her jacket and hit the button on her answering machine.

'You have no new messages.'

She rolled her eyes. There was a surprise, she thought and bit her lip at the bitter overtone of her internal voice. She flipped through the mail; junk. She binned it. Maybe she should make dinner, she mused. Her hand crept to her stomach; she was still full from the barbeque her CO, Colonel O'Neill, had insisted on feeding them all after they had exhausted the activities at the park. She had seen her team-mate, Teal'c, surreptitiously feeding Cassie's new dog most of his charred meat and Sam was regretting the decision not to do the same. Even if she had wanted to make dinner, Sam realised, she had little or no food in the house. She resolutely filled the kettle.

A few minutes later, she sat on her sofa with a cup of tea ready on the coffee table in front of her. She hunted for the remote and switched on the television, flicking through the channels aimlessly. She couldn't find anything she wanted to watch and switched it off. She picked up the latest journal she had acquired flicking to the article on quantum physics. Half-way through she abandoned the pretence of reading and slumped back on the sofa to stare sightlessly at the fireplace.

Sam let the wave of discontentment roll over her giving into her mood. She reached forward and picked up the tea. She felt lonely, she realised taking a sip of the lukewarm liquid. After the past few days and spending all of her waking hours with Cassie, the empty apartment seemed just that; empty. Her apartment was a joke, she thought despondently. If she was honest, she had always considered it as simply somewhere to sleep between shifts at the base and it told in what she had done, or rather not done, to the place. Even her CO's place had more homely touches and Janet's house…she sighed heavily. Janet's house was a proper home. Somehow the doctor had found time to decorate creating a cosy environment. It was perfect for Cassie who needed the stability of a proper home after the trauma of losing her entire world.

It had been hard, Sam admitted to herself, leaving Cassie with Janet. She had bonded to the little girl a lot since they had returned from Hanka with her. The added horror of realising Cassie had been used by the Goa'uld Nirtii as a bomb designed to wipe out the Earth Stargate had only cemented that bond further. The events of a couple of days before came flooding back to her painfully; leaving Cassie in the vault at the nuclear facility to contain the anticipated explosion; realising that there was a possibility the bomb was connected to proximity to the Stargate itself and returning, disobeying a direct order to stay with Cassie until the end of the countdown. She had been right and Cassie was fine; the bomb was being absorbed back into her body.

She loved the little girl and she knew Cassie loved her. Why wasn't she prepared to offer Cassie a home? She knew her team-mates were all surprised that she hadn't. Men, thought Sam furiously. Why did they automatically assume just because she was a woman she would want to raise a child? Her ire dissipated as quickly as it had come; her fingers worried at the buttons on her shirt. How could she have offered Cassie a home? She couldn't even take care of her cat. Her apartment was tiny; her job was dangerous and she spent most of her time off-world. Logically, it made no sense; Cassie needed more than Sam could offer her.

Selfish. The word popped into her head with the brute force of a sucker-punch. The truth of it was she hadn't wanted to change her life to accommodate a child. In the life plan she had drawn out in her late teens, children were something for her early thirties when she was established in her career and married. She liked her job; was that such a crime? Although, she reflected, she might not actually have a career after the stunt she had pulled; she had disobeyed a direct order.

The thought repeated in her head. Colonel O'Neill hadn't brought it up with her yet. He had a fairly laid back style as a leader but she couldn't believe he would let it slide. He had been his usual self during their time with Cassie in the park but they had all been off duty…she sighed. It bugged her to think that she might have lost his approval just as she had gained it after helping to keep the Goa'uld Hathor from taking the base.

And, Sam thought, even if the Colonel was prepared to overlook it, their base commander would not. Hammond would have read about her disobedience in the mission reports they had all submitted. She had tried to keep hers factual: Colonel O'Neill had given her an order to leave Cassie; she had explained why she couldn't; she had stayed. She grimaced. Hammond was so not going to fall for that. Maybe that was why he had suggested she consider adopting Cassie herself…no, he hadn't received the reports from the team when he had suggested that.

Sam pushed a hand through her blonde hair. When Hammond had raised the idea of Sam herself adopting Cassie she had just felt completely overwhelmed. She wasn't ready to raise a child even Cassie who she loved. God, she didn't even know _how_ to raise a child. She had worked off sheer instincts with Cassie. Her decision might be selfish and motivated by fear, Sam thought, but Janet was the better candidate. One look at their respective abodes would confirm that to the nearest social worker. It wasn't as though her own background provided her with a good example of parenting…her mother had died when she was a teenager and her father, a General, had…well, he had ran the house like a military operation.

The thought of her father had her reaching for the phone on a sudden impulse to talk to him. The phone barely rang at the other end before it was snatched up.

'Carter.'

'Hi Dad.' Sam said. 'It's me.'

'Sam?' In his Washington DC home, General Jacob Carter muted the television and glanced at the clock. 'Is everything OK?'

'Sure. I was just thinking about you and realised we hadn't talked in a while so…' she cleared her throat awkwardly, 'I thought I'd call and say hi.'

'How are things in deep space radar telemetry?' Jacob asked.

'OK.' Sam sighed. She wished she could tell her father the truth about what she did; he considered her cover of deep space radar telemetry to be beneath a daughter of his. 'You?'

'Same old thing.' Jacob replied vaguely. There was a pause. 'You heard from Mark?'

'No.' Sam rubbed her eyes tiredly. Her father and brother hadn't spoken for years; Mark had blamed her father for their mother's death and disliked the military with a passionate fervour. He had only maintained minimal communication with Sam since she had joined up. 'I got a card from Hannah saying thank you for her birthday present though. You could call…'

'Look, I'm kinda in the middle of watching something here, Sam.' Jacob cut her off. 'I'll call you soon.'

The hum of the dialling tone had sudden tears stinging her eyes and she pressed the phone off and threw it across the room in a fit of temper. She closed her eyes. Why had she thought calling her father might make her feel better? Hadn't she learned since her mother's death that she would always have to deal with everything alone? She swiped at the moisture beneath her eyes and stood up swiftly. She was done moping in her apartment. She would head to the base and take a look at the artefact SG6 had come back with from P3X141. The door slammed shut behind her leaving only an echo around the stark walls.

o-O-o

Teal'c carefully turned the page on the book he was reading before he resumed eating his dinner with his free hand. He was occupying his favourite table in the commissary at the far back corner; it gave him a great view of the mess and its entrance. He was often in the commissary. He could claim it was only to satisfy his Jaffa appetite which was greater than a normal human male but in truth, when he had first arrived on Earth, he had often found himself craving the company of others as he struggled with the alien environment around him.

It had been a surprise to him. He had never needed the company of others before. The position of First Prime had elevated him from the troops and he had quickly learned not to form friendships with the Jaffa he led. Too often he would have to lead them into a battle he believed ill-conceived or put one to death on the whim of his False God. Friendships never lasted long; relationships could be too easily exploited by Apophis or by another Jaffa. He had taken comfort during the moments he could with his wife and son or sparring sessions with his mentor, Bra'tac, but ultimately he had been content with his own company.

But finding himself far from his home without his family and finally embarking on a fight against the False Gods, he had floundered. It had taken time for the bonds between the members of SG1 to form and he had often found himself alone in his small quarters between missions. There was only so much meditation he could do, only so much reading before the need to simply be around somebody else would drive him from the room. The commissary was rarely completely empty and had provided him with a place to feel less alone even if he remained apart from the humans around him. The commissary had become his favourite place.

He no longer suffered from the need that had driven him to the commissary before; SG1 had become a close knit team and he spent a lot more of his off duty time with one or more of his team-mates, that day's visit to the park being the latest example, but every so often he still found his feet beating a path there. So, it was with a quiet contentment that Teal'c read his history on the American War of Independence and ate his dinner while letting the gentle hum of conversation and activity flow over and around him.

Halfway into a paragraph on the Boston Tea-Party, some inner instinct had Teal'c raising his dark eyes from the page and they widened in surprise at the sight of Captain Carter entering the room. He frowned. The team wasn't scheduled to report for duty until the next morning and her presence was unexpected especially as he had anticipated the Air Force officer would be spending the evening with the child Cassandra. He suspected O'Neill and Daniel Jackson had imagined the same thing; all three of them had waved Sam and Cassie goodbye from the front of O'Neill's house not long before.

It had been a surprise to him given the obvious bond between them that Captain Carter hadn't chosen to raise the young girl herself but then the difference between the Jaffa culture and the Tau'ri in regards to females was something that still had the ability to catch him slightly off-guard. He had come to regard Captain Carter as a skilled warrior and he had determined to consider her decision in that light; that she had chosen to remain fighting the Goa'uld rather than raising the child was something he could relate to as a warrior even if he found it strange given her sex.

He was pleased when she spotted him and headed over. He rose partially from the table – a gentlemanly gesture that had Sam smiling briefly – before he resumed his place as she took hers. He frowned as he scanned her face. She seemed subdued and there was the faintest evidence in the redness around her eyes that she had been crying. He only just stopped himself from asking whether she was fine; he knew what her response would be given her usual tendency to present a strong front. He could only attempt to determine the source of her upset and fix it.

Sam unwrapped her cutlery from its napkin and placed the latter on her lap before she poked at the macaroni cheese she had chosen with suspicion.

'Is something wrong with your food, Captain Carter?' Teal'c asked.

She glanced up and was surprised at his fierce concerned expression. She half got the feeling that if she said yes, he would charge back to the serving hatch and demand retribution for her inadequate meal. 'It's fine, Teal'c.' She sighed. 'It's my own fault for thinking I should chose something bland because…' she stopped suddenly realising she was about to insult her CO's barbeque.

'I understand completely.' Teal'c said in a heartfelt way that reassured her he really did.

Sam flashed him another brief smile before she took a hesitant mouthful and, when it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, dug in with more enthusiasm. 'What are you reading?'

'A history of the War of Independence.' Teal'c showed her the book. 'It is a fascinating period in the history of your country.'

'I guess there are some similarities with your own situation.' Sam commented.

'Indeed.' Teal'c noted. 'I hope one day all Jaffa will celebrate our independence from the Goa'uld.'

She smiled at him again.

Teal'c returned his attention to his own food for a little while before he determined it was time to test his theory on what was bothering her. 'I did not expect to see you this evening, Captain Carter. I thought you would be occupied with Cassandra.' Her imperceptible flinch told him he had successfully guessed the cause of her upset.

Sam gestured at him with her cutlery. 'Cassie was tired and Janet thought she should rest.'

'A wise decision.' Teal'c murmured.

'Yeah.' Sam unwilling agreed. 'Janet's received permission to adopt Cassie.' She fiddled with her fork and shovelled up another mouthful of macaroni cheese as she struggled with whether to say the rest of it. She sighed. 'She also wanted Cassie to get used to it being the two of them. I mean with us being away all the time and…'

'I see.' Teal'c did see. He saw that his young friend was facing the consequences of her decision not to raise Cassie herself; Doctor Fraiser would become paramount in Cassie's affections and Sam would cease to be as important to the child. The perceived or anticipated loss of the attachment was obviously at the root of her upset.

'So,' said Sam brightly, 'I thought I'd make use of the spare time and come in. There's that artefact SG6 brought back that I've been meaning to analyse.'

Teal'c saw through the false bravado with ease. The Air Force Captain had come in for the same reason he had ended up in the commissary during his early days with the team; she wanted company only she couldn't admit it without ruining the independent and self-contained image she presented to the rest of the world – including her team-mates. He cleared his throat. 'May I offer my assistance with the device?'

Her startled blue eyes flew up from her meal to meet his impassive expression. 'You know what it is?'

'I do not.' Teal'c admitted. 'But perhaps I could act as a sounding board for you, Captain Carter.' He motioned with his book. 'My own plans consist of nothing more than reading alone in my quarters.' He waited for her to take the bait. His team-mate had a soft heart – as demonstrated by her relationship with Cassie – and Teal'c knew given the hint that _he _might want company she was unlikely to refuse him.

Sam's face softened. 'A sounding board sounds great, Teal'c.'

He refrained from showing any satisfaction and simply inclined his head.

o-O-o

'Teal'c!'

The Jaffa turned from the coffee station at the sound of Daniel Jackson's voice and greeted the archaeologist confused. He had believed Daniel had returned to his temporary home at Colonel O'Neill's house, once he had dropped Teal'c back at the SGC base more than a few hours before. 'Daniel Jackson. I was not expecting to see you this evening.'

'Oh I popped in for a book I left in my office but one of the linguists was having problems with a language SG8 discovered and I got caught up in helping him. It's very interesting really, we think the root is German but somehow an obscure version…' Daniel stumbled to a halt at Teal'c's raised eyebrow. 'I guess I got a little distracted.' He watched fascinated as Teal'c carefully poured a cup of coffee into an oversize mug with the emblem of the SGC printed on its front. 'I didn't know you liked coffee, Teal'c.'

'This is for Captain Carter.' They had been working without progress for a number of hours and Teal'c was gaining the distinct impression that the Captain was preparing to continue through the night in order to succeed in her mission.

'Ah!' Daniel nodded understandingly as he poured some coffee into his own mug. He frowned as Teal'c's words registered fully. 'Sam's here?'

'Indeed.' Teal'c said quietly.

'Why?' Daniel demanded, his puzzled blue eyes meeting Teal'c's.

'I believe Doctor Fraiser requested Cassandra rest for the evening and become accustomed to Captain Carter's absence.'

'Well, I guess that makes sense.' Daniel said, slowly taking a sip of his drink. 'But that's got to be tough for Sam. I mean Cassie's practically been glued to her side since she met her.'

Teal'c inclined his head.

'How is she?' Daniel asked concerned as they began the walk to the elevator. Sam had become very emotionally involved with Cassie and she had been taken on quite a roller-coaster during the last few days.

'She is attempting to determine the purpose of the device found by SG6.' Teal'c responded.

'No, I meant…' Daniel stopped at the look Teal's shot him suddenly getting the message. 'Oh.' Sometimes, the archaeologist mused, it wasn't what Teal'c said but what he didn't say. Obviously Sam was dealing with things by burying herself in work.

'I am assisting Captain Carter.' Teal'c continued.

Translation; the Jaffa was watching over her, Daniel realised. He wondered how he could offer to do the same without Sam getting suspicious. She wasn't usually inclined to accept help and support; he blamed the military for forcing her into proving herself to be just as tough as the men. Even with Cassie she had seemed surprised when Daniel had pointed out to her she didn't have to go through the experience alone.

'I believe Captain Carter would also appreciate your assistance.' Teal'c said as though he had read Daniel's mind. 'There are some unusual markings on the device.'

'Really?' Daniel beamed at the Jaffa. 'I'd be happy to take a look.'

'As I thought you might.' Teal'c murmured.

They made their way to Sam's lab in comfortable silence and found her muttering over the artefact. She looked up as they entered and blinked in surprise at Daniel.

'Hi.' He smiled shyly. 'I ran into Teal'c at coffee and he told me there were markings?'

'Yes.' Sam said relieved if curious to see him. She accepted her coffee from Teal'c with a brief smile of thanks. 'Would you mind taking a look, Daniel? We can't make head nor tail of them.'

'Sure.' Daniel said happily. He stepped forward to the central workbench and peered at the device. It was a perfect square box, grey in colour, smooth to the touch and with markings on two of its sides, presumably the top and bottom.

'What are doing here anyway?' Sam asked as she slipped onto a stool. 'I thought Colonel O'Neill was ordering you guys pizza.'

Pizza. Daniel winced as the memory of Jack's warning to make it back in time for the pizza delivery zipped into his head. He'd forgotten all about it. He shrugged off the uneasy guilt that had settled around his shoulders and folded his arms. 'I forgot.' He admitted with a sigh. 'He's going to be mad.'

'Maybe you should ring and apologise.' Sam suggested.

Daniel blinked at her. 'We're only temporary house-mates, Sam. It's not like we answer to each other or anything. I mean we're not married.' He said crossly, bending to focus on the device in the hope Sam would drop the subject.

Teal'c had often found the squabbling between the two men not to be dissimilar to that of a long wedded couple but he determined that it was best to leave his observation unspoken. He glanced over the archaeologist's head at Sam who looked back at him with shared amusement.

'I think I've seen these symbols before.'

Daniel's comment had his team-mates' heads whipping back to him.

'You have?' Sam asked incredulous. 'Where?'

He adjusted his glasses and slowly backed off the device. 'Wait here.' He dashed out of the room leaving a bemused Teal'c and Sam behind.

Daniel returned within minutes with an open brown leather journal clutched in his hands. He briefly compared the symbols on the device with those scribbled on the page in front of him. 'Here.' He thrust the journal at Sam.

She recognised it immediately; it was Ernest Littlefield's journal. The scientist had been the first man through the Stargate during the 1940's and they had retrieved him only a month before. The building they had found him in had contained a room with four languages inscribed on the walls; the symbols on the device were the same as those of one of the languages.

'This is incredible.' Daniel said, pushing his hand through his long brown hair. 'SG6 brought this back from P3X141?'

'Yeah.' Sam shook her head. 'I don't know why I didn't recognise them. I stared at those symbols long enough when I scanned them into the computer model.' She sounded annoyed with herself for not making the connection.

'I also did not see the similarity.' Teal'c said regretfully.

'Well I spent more time in the room on the planet than either of the two of you.' Daniel mused absently, his attention completely on the device. 'We have to go back to P3X141. I mean who knows if there's…'

'It's a wasteland, Daniel.' Sam interrupted him. She plucked a mission file off a side bench and handed it to him. 'The only thing they found anywhere close to the Stargate was some ruins. This was half-buried under a fallen rock. They searched the whole area to see if there was something else but this was it.'

'No writings? At all?' Daniel flipped through the mission report to confirm Sam's explanation. 'I don't believe it. The device was just left in the middle of a desert?' He looked at Sam askance.

She shrugged. 'Do you know what the symbols mean?'

Daniel sighed. 'Not exactly.'

'Not exactly?' Sam parroted.

'It seems to be Latin based but we still haven't been able to translate it fully yet.' Daniel gestured wildly at the device. 'We've been concentrating on the Norse language hoping if we can translate that we can use it as a template to translate the others and…'

'Daniel.' Jack O'Neill filled the doorway to the lab. Unlike the rest of his team he was dressed in civvies; khaki pants teamed with a black jumper and black leather jacket. He was also wearing an unhappy scowl and carrying a pizza box.

'Jack.' Daniel fidgeted with his glasses.

'Did you forget something, Daniel?' Jack asked sarcastically, entering the room.

Daniel sighed. 'I got a little distracted…'

'You always get a little distracted.' Jack complained. 'You could have called.'

'You're right. I should have called.' Daniel said hurriedly. 'I'm sorry.'

Sam couldn't help herself; she giggled.

'What?' Both men said in unison.

'Nothing.' She plastered an innocent look on her face and avoided Teal'c's eyes for fear she'd start giggling again.

Jack looked from her to Teal'c and back. He turned to Daniel and handed him the pizza box. 'You are _so_ finding another apartment when we get back from this next mission.'

The faint smell of baked bread, tomato and cheese wafted up to Daniel and his stomach growled. He opened the box up to grab the slice of pizza enthusiastically.

Jack sighed at the evidence that Daniel had obviously forgotten to eat dinner again and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he seemed to register for the first time that his whole team was present. 'So…what're you all doing?'

Daniel motioned at the device with his pizza slice. 'We're trying to find out what the box does.' He stuffed more pizza in his mouth.

'Sounds…' Jack searched for a suitable adjective, 'like you.' He finished eventually.

'Daniel's worked out the symbols on the box are the same as one of the languages on the planet where we found Ernest.' Sam explained.

'Really?' Jack's interest perked up a bit and he moved up to the workbench to take a closer look at the artefact that his team so excited. 'So what does it do?'

'We don't know.' Sam said frustrated.

'It does not appear to do anything.' Teal'c stated.

Jack picked it up to get a closer look. Suddenly, the box lit up and light seeped through the edges.

All three of his team-mates stared at him.

'What did you do?' Daniel asked.

'I didn't do anything.' Jack denied automatically. He put the box down and the light faded.

Sam reached for the device and grasped it firmly. There was no reaction. 'Teal'c?' She handed it to the Jaffa who turned the inert device over in his hands.

'Now me.' Daniel said brushing his fingers hurriedly on the front of his t-shirt to remove the crumbs. He held his hand out and Teal'c passed it to him.

Nothing.

'Give it back to the Colonel, Daniel.' Sam said, reaching for a measuring instrument on the side bench.

'I'm not holding it.' Jack said, refusing to take the box from Daniel. 'Besides it was obviously a fluke.'

'Well, we'll know for certain if you try holding it again, sir.' Sam said coaxingly.

'Jack.' Daniel said firmly. 'Take the box.'

'I'm not taking the box.'

'Take the box.'

'No.'

'Take the box.' Daniel took a step forward to thrust it into Jack's hands and the Colonel took an instinctive step back to avoid him.

Sam giggled again and Jack shot her a dirty look across the room. She held a hand up in apology and bit down on her lip.

'Oh for crying out loud.' Jack reached forward and snatched the box from Daniel's hands.

It lit up again and started to hum.

'Keep holding it, sir.' Sam moved to stand next to him taking the energy readings. 'Strange.' She muttered.

'What?' Jack asked.

'Obviously there's something about you that switches the device on.' She explained.

Her blue eyes ran over him and Jack shuffled uncomfortably under her calculating gaze. He felt a little too much like a lab experiment.

'We should run some tests.' Sam said excitedly. 'This could be important…'

'No,' Jack replied, setting the box down again where it once again deactivated, 'we should go to bed.'

There was a stunned silence.

Jack glanced at Daniel's shocked face to Teal'c's raised eyebrow and back to Sam's expression where initial surprise was giving way to amusement.

'I mean we should all go to bed.' He hurriedly corrected. 'All of us. To separate beds. Alone.' He gestured frustrated. 'We have a mission first thing in the morning.'

Sam's lips twitched. 'Yes, sir.'

Jack sighed as Daniel smirked at him.

Teal'c took pity on the Colonel especially as it appeared Captain Carter was no longer as upset as she had been earlier in the evening. 'O'Neill is correct. It is time for us to retire.'

'Thank you, Teal'c.' Jack said gratefully.

Daniel sighed and picked up Ernest's journal. 'I'll see you guys in the morning.'

'I'm giving you ten minutes and then I'm going to check your office, Daniel.' Jack warned him as the younger man headed out.

Teal'c gave a short bow to both military officers and departed.

Sam waited until the Jaffa had left and she was alone with the Colonel. 'Do you have a minute, sir?'

Jack hid his surprise. 'Sure, Carter. What's on your mind?' He motioned for her to take a seat and slid onto a stool next to her.

'About my disobeying your order, sir,' Sam began nervously.

Jack repressed the urge to sigh and wondered how long she had been worrying over her action at the nuclear facility site. 'Carter.'

'I just want to explain if I can…' Sam continued.

'Carter.'

His insistent use of her name finally caught her attention. 'Sir?' Sam asked hesitantly.

'You didn't disobey a direct order.' Jack said seriously.

'I did.' Sam said.

'No you didn't.' Jack argued.

'I did.' Sam insisted. 'Don't you remember…'

'I remember just fine, Carter.' Jack said testily. The moments where she had ignored his calls for her to respond to the radio after she told him she was staying and Cassie was awake were etched into his mind. He sighed rubbing his hand through his hair. 'Look, you made a decision in the field. You were there; you had what you believed was more up to date information about the situation than me and you made the call not to leave her.' He held her eyes. 'You were right.'

'But…'

'No buts, Carter. If anything the mistake was mine for assuming you didn't have a logical reason for your return to the vault when I issued the order.'

'You trusted me to do my job, sir.' Sam said miserably unable to look at him.

'And you did it.'

She was surprised into looking at him.

'You did your job when you worked out the bomb thing, realised there probably wasn't going to be explosion and went back to Cassie.' Jack said quietly. 'That's what my mission report states; as does Teal'c's although he uses less words, and as does Daniel's, only,' he gestured and gave a wry smile, 'he uses more words. And they're longer. Much longer.'

Sam was almost rendered speechless. 'I didn't have to stay with Cassie.' She murmured, unwilling to let go of the idea that she had done something wrong.

'No,' Jack admitted, 'and the rest of us didn't have to stay in the building to wait out the countdown with you but we did.'

'You…' Sam's eyes jerked to his. 'You all stayed in the building?'

She hadn't known, Jack realised. Why should she? He didn't think any of them had thought to tell her and she had been in the vault; she must have thought they had followed procedure and cleared the building.

He held her gaze. 'Of course we stayed. If we could have we would have been in the vault with you, Sam.' He deliberately used her first name. 'You know that right?'

She took in the faint tinge of disbelief in his voice that she could believe anything else and something shifted in her. She wasn't alone, Sam realised.

'_You don't have to do this alone.' _

Daniel's words came back to her and she smiled. She could handle things alone, she could, but she had her team and they were always going to be there for her. A bit like they had been that evening, Sam realised. That meant something; it meant a lot.

'Thank you, sir.' Sam said gratefully.

'So we're good?' Jack asked.

She nodded.

'Good.' Jack stood up. Some whimsy had him picking up the box again. Nothing happened.

'Huh.' Sam stared at it. 'Maybe it ran out of power.'

'Maybe it's just an ordinary box.' Jack said putting it back down and heading for the door. 'Well, I'd better go check Daniel didn't take a detour to his office on his way to bed.' He smiled over his shoulder at her. 'You I trust to follow orders.'

His parting remark hung in the air.

Sam smiled at the empty doorway. 'Yes, sir.'


	15. Forgiveness

**Author's Note:** Daniel/Teal'c friendship. Sam/Hammond friendship. Jack/Hammond friendship. Mild Daniel/Janet.

**Cor-ai Recap:** _SG1 visit Cartego a popular world for Apophis to harvest hosts. Teal'c is recognised by one of the villagers, Hanno, who demands retribution for his father's death. Teal'c agrees to undergo Cor-ai and confesses he did kill Hanno's father. At the trial, Jack uses Daniel's experience and Teal'c's good deeds to try to sway sentencing but it is obvious that Hanno will not settle for anything less than death. Teal'c is willing to accept his punishment; he feels that he can never atone for what he did under Apophis but he can let one of his victim's have retribution. _

_Jack is keen to break Teal'c out of prison but __Hammond__ and the President refuse to let any other troops aid the team. Meanwhile on the planet Hanno sentences Teal'c to death despite a persuasive argument by Daniel. Jack and Sam return from Earth to find the planet is being visited by Apophis's __Jaffa__ including Shak'l (from the Nox). Teal'c helps save the villagers killing Shak'l in the process and on seeing his heroism, Hanno retracts his sentence telling Teal'c that he is no longer the __Jaffa__ that killed his father. _

**Forgiveness **

There was so much tension in the briefing room that a dummy could have picked up on it and Doctor Janet Fraiser prided herself on being no dummy. She shifted awkwardly in the seat and tried hard to ignore the underlying currents around the table.

General Hammond was sitting stiffly in his seat with his pale blue eyes fixed to the SG1 leader, Colonel Jack O'Neill as he finished his report of SG1's encounter with the Byrsa on the planet Cartego. The team had run into trouble on the planet when one of the natives had recognised Teal'c as the Jaffa responsible for killing his father. The incident had happened during Teal'c's time as Apophis's First Prime. He had not denied the crime and subjected himself to Cor-ai; the Byrsa's justice system. He had been found guilty and only his heroics in saving the Byrsa when they had been attacked by Apophis's Serpent Guards had prevented his execution. Teal'c was absent from the briefing; he was recovering in the infirmary from a nasty staff blast to his leg.

Unfortunately the positive resolution to the incident didn't negate the bitter after-taste for the SG1 team who had seen Earth, and their own command, effectively abandon the Jaffa to his fate after refusing to agree to a plan to send additional troops to Cartego in an attempt to force the Byrsa into releasing Teal'c. The heated exchange of words between O'Neill and Hammond had been widely overheard by the staff in the control room and the guards at the briefing room door.

Janet could see that the usual ease that existed between the two men was missing; a frigid air of formality erected in its place. Her eyes drifted to Captain Samantha Carter who sat next to her as the other woman began her report. The young blonde Air Force officer had followed the example of the two senior officers and had also retreated into military formality. Her demeanour was poster perfect; her tone clipped and precise; her manner lacking its usual warmth. If the military personnel were maintaining emotionless façades and trying to ignore the problem, the same could not be said of the civilian member of SG1.

Doctor Daniel Jackson sat opposite Janet; he positively vibrated with suppressed tension. He hadn't stopped fidgeting since they had begun the briefing; fiddling with his glasses, the coffee mug in front of him, the pen he held, his hair. He shifted constantly in his chair as he waited until it was his turn to report. Janet assumed he had been informed of what had happened, or maybe he had worked it out from the lack of additional troops accompanying his team-mates. He was evidently furious. She nervously straightened her own folders as Sam came to a finish and wondered how bad the eruption would be.

Hammond cleared his throat and his pale blue eyes moved to the archaeologist. 'Doctor Jackson, do you have anything to add to the report?'

Daniel's eyes met the General's fiercely. 'Yes. I can't believe that the rescue plan for Teal'c wasn't approved.'

'Daniel.' Jack said warningly. 'We talked about this…'

'And I'm not letting this go, Jack. What kind of message are we giving to Teal'c about his place with us?' Daniel continued as though the interruption from the Colonel hadn't happened. 'And what happens the next time?' He asked, passionately waving his hands at Hammond. 'Are we just going to let him die?' His eyes gleamed brightly behind his glasses. 'Are we…'

'This subject is not for debate, Doctor Jackson.' Hammond stated forcibly, cutting across the younger man. 'The decision was made at the highest level and the truth of the matter is that Teal'c did commit atrocious acts in the service of Apophis…'

'You don't need to remind me of what Teal'c did, General.' Daniel's sharp words echoed in the suddenly silent room.

They all shifted uncomfortably and avoided each other's eyes. Of all of them, Daniel had suffered most at Teal'c's hands; the Jaffa had played a large part in Daniel's wife being abducted and implanted by a Goa'uld.

'Look, I even argued that he should stand trial,' Daniel allowed, 'but I changed my mind when I realised that nothing would sway them from executing him…'

'Doctor Jackson…' Hammond tried to forestall the younger man.

'…despite all the good Teal'c has done since he saved us and all the good he can do in the future.' Daniel leaned forward over the table gesturing. 'Teal'c doesn't deserve to die and he does deserve to know the place he now calls home will not stand idly by and let him be executed…'

'Doctor Jackson.' The name ricocheted across the table like a bullet.

Daniel stumbled mid-flow and stopped bemused.

'You've made your point.' Hammond said quietly.

It was only his respect for the General that had Daniel subsiding unhappily into his chair.

Hammond gave a barely concealed sigh of relief. He turned to Janet. 'Doctor?'

'Teal'c sustained a bad staff blast to his left thigh, sir.' Janet clasped her hands atop the folder on the table in front of her. 'His symbiote is healing the wound but slowly. I've admitted him to the infirmary for the night to monitor it. If I had to guess I would say that Teal'c's own emotional state may be impeding progress.'

'And what is his emotional state, Doctor?' Hammond asked.

Janet shifted a little in her seat uncomfortable as all eyes fell on her. 'It's difficult to say, sir. Teal'c's a…a very self-contained individual.' She gave a half-shrug. 'We can only guess at what emotional turmoil he's been through with the events of the Cor-ai and the…the outcome.'

'Not to mention having to kill Shak'l.' Daniel added.

'Shak'l?' Hammond questioned.

'The Jaffa we met during the incident with the Nox, sir.' Sam clarified.

'Teal'c helped train him.' Daniel explained.

'I see.' Hammond glanced back at the doctor. 'Well, keep me appraised, Doctor and let me know if there's anything he needs.'

'Yes, sir.' Janet nodded.

'I'll expect your reports by eighteen hundred tomorrow, SG1. Dismissed.' Hammond rose from the table and walked smartly into his adjoining office. The door closed firmly behind him leaving the rest of them stood by the table.

A muscle tensed in Jack's jaw as he stared for a moment in the direction of the departed General before he seemed to consciously shift his gaze. The brown eyes were guarded as they met Daniel's. 'You need a lift back?'

Daniel shook his head. He was staying with Jack; a temporary arrangement that had dragged on for a couple of weeks after he had lost his apartment when presumed dead. 'I think I'm going to stay on the base, see if Teal'c wants some company.'

Jack nodded jerkily. 'I'm going to head home then. Doctor. Captain.' His eyes met Janet's then Sam's in a brief acknowledgement of farewell before he turned and sharply walked out of the briefing room.

Janet gathered her folders and made to leave the room. Daniel picked up his coffee mug and followed her. They both stopped at the doorway as they realised Sam hadn't moved.

'Sam?' Daniel's brow creased in confusion at Sam's thoughtful expression; she looked a million miles away.

'Hmmm?' Sam focused on her team-mate with a slightly surprised look as though she had been unaware of his presence.

'Are you coming to the infirmary?' Daniel asked patiently.

'Cassie's waiting for us in my office, remember?' Janet added, referring to the young girl SG1 had rescued from Hanka a few days before the mission to Cartego. 'She's been dying to see you.' The little girl was very attached to Sam and had waited impatiently for her to return.

Sam covered with a bright smile. 'I'll be down in a minute. I just need to check something. You guys go on without me.'

She watched Daniel and Janet leave the briefing room before she gathered up her folder and walked the couple of steps to the General's office door. She hesitated, wondering if she was doing the right thing. She raised her hand to knock and lowered it again, almost turning away from the door before she stiffened her resolve and turned back to knock firmly on the wood.

'Come.'

She entered the office and closed the door behind her, swallowing nervously.

Hammond glanced up from his reading. His blue eyes met hers a little warily. 'Captain Carter.'

'Sir,' Sam took a deep breath, 'permission to lose the ranks, sir.'

His eyebrows shot up.

'I have a…a personal matter I need to speak with you about. Sir.' Sam hastily added.

Hammond frowned. 'If this is about Teal'c…'

'It isn't.' Sam insisted.

The General looked at her as though gauging her sincerity before he waved at the chair in front of his desk. 'What's this about, Sam?'

'It's about Colonel O'Neill.' Sam admitted as she sat down.

Hammond's heart sank a little. 'I'm not sure it's appropriate for us to have this discussion without ranks, Sam.'

'Neither am I,' Sam confessed wondering again at the wisdom of what she was doing, 'but I don't think you want it on the record, Uncle George.'

He registered her evident awkwardness and the use of her childhood name for him. He had once been extremely close to the Carter family having served with her father, Jacob. That closeness had drifted with reassignments to different parts of the world but both Sam and he were more than aware of their pre-existing relationship and how it might be construed.

When Sam had first transferred to his command, they had both agreed that they would both conduct themselves as though that relationship had never existed; they had to in order to comply with the regulations. Hammond had informed his chain of command and he knew they were watching closely for any sign of favouritism; he considered the fact that they had allowed his decision to assign her to SG1 to stand as a minor miracle. In all respects, he treated her like any other member of his command; she had never wanted nor had asked for any personal favours and seemed very happy with the status quo. For her to approach him on a personal basis had to mean that whatever she wanted to discuss was very important.

He sighed as she realised she was waiting for him to give her permission to continue. 'Why don't you just spit out what's bothering you, Sam?'

'I think you need to speak to Colonel O'Neill about what happened with Teal'c.' She blurted out.

'Sam…'

'Not about the argument you had,' Sam added hurriedly and then seeing his unhappy face rushed to correct her statement, 'I mean, I don't think you should talk to him about your decision about rescuing Teal'c, I mean…' she sighed. 'Let me start again.'

'I think that would be a very good idea.' Hammond stated dryly.

Sam gave an embarrassed smile. 'I think Teal'c's trial for killing someone when he was Apophis's First Prime raised a few issues for the Colonel about his own past specifically some of the missions he had to do during his time in Special Forces.' Her hands were twisting together nervously in her lap and she stilled them. 'And I think he needs to talk to someone.'

Hammond regarded Sam for a long moment. 'Why do I get the feeling that the Colonel didn't tell you about his time in Special Forces?'

'Because he didn't.' Sam admitted with a wince.

'Do I want to know how you do know something which is supposed to be highly classified?'

'No.' Sam said simply.

Hammond sighed again deeply. There were times he was immensely grateful for the 'don't ask, don't tell' rule of the military. 'Sam, I appreciate that you're trying to help but I…'

'Sir,' Sam used the honorific automatically despite the permission for the informal discussion, 'Colonel O'Neill would never admit he needed to talk to someone, that's just not the type of man he is and I'm not saying officially he needs a psych exam or anything like that but I think he really does need to talk.' She gestured at the General. 'He might have talked to Daniel but Daniel wants to stay around for Teal'c. I think the trial raised a lot of stuff between the two of them that they need to deal with, and besides, I don't think Daniel would be the right person this time. I don't think he knows a lot of the detail about the Colonel's military past and he's not exactly sympathetic to military decision-making especially around…' she searched for a euphemism, 'the grey areas.'

Hammond snorted in reluctant amusement and Sam relaxed a little.

'I would go myself but I don't think the Colonel would confide in me as a junior officer and I've already agreed to spend some time with Cassie.'

'And you're not really supposed to know why he might be upset in the first place.' Hammond reminded her.

Sam blushed. 'Yes. There is that too although his comment in your argu…discussion when he mentioned having to do 'distasteful things for his country' might have given me an opening.'

She had obviously thought about it a great deal, Hammond realised and wondered why he was surprised; Sam thought about most things a great deal more than the average person and usually at ten times the speed.

'I also think he needs someone who has an idea of what he's been through and that's not me.' Sam finished.

The General looked at her sharply. He had the sudden sinking feeling that Colonel O'Neill's unofficial and unvarnished service record wasn't the only one she had read. He leaned back in his chair and contemplated her request. He nodded slowly. 'I'll see what I can do.'

'Thank you.' Sam breathed out relieved. She rose from the chair. 'With your permission, sir?'

'Dismissed.' He confirmed. 'And Captain?' He waited until their eyes met and held. 'We never had this discussion. Understood?'

Sam nodded. 'Understood, sir.'

o-O-o

Daniel wondered absently what Sam was so preoccupied with as he pressed the call button for the elevator. He glanced over at the petite brunette doctor standing with him reading one of the folders she held and cleared his throat. 'So…how's Cassie doing?'

Janet looked up from her notes and hastily closed the folder. 'Oh. You know.'

'Actually I don't.' Daniel said with a smile to take the edge of his words. 'That's why I was asking.'

'Sorry.' Janet gave an apologetic grimace. 'Physically she's doing much better. The bomb in her system has completely dissolved. She's beginning to regain her energy.'

'And emotionally?' Daniel prompted.

Janet sighed. 'To be honest I think the loss of her home and her parents is beginning to fully register with her.'

'It's a big loss.' Daniel commented.

'I think it hit her when Sam wasn't around.' Janet looked at the elevator doors wondering why it was taking so long. 'She missed her.'

A less observant person would have missed the slight flicker of frustration across Janet's face but as an anthropologist, Daniel was trained to pick up on people's gestures and reactions. Obviously the couple of days SG1 had been away had been trying for the doctor with her new charge. Maybe she was even wondering if she had done the right thing in deciding to adopt Cassie. He pressed his lips together wondering whether to say something. 'I guess you've had a difficult couple of days.'

Janet's brown eyes flew back to his. She smiled wryly. 'I could say the same about you.'

Daniel smiled appreciatively. He nudged his glasses up his nose. 'If you want…I could talk to Cassie…I mean about her parents, how she feels. I kinda have some idea about what she's going through. I mean, obviously not about losing her planet, although I might be able to parallel with having to leave Abydos but…' He stopped as she started to grin. He smiled ruefully. 'I guess what I'm trying to say is if you need anything, I'm here to help.' He gestured with his mug. 'We all are.' He noted the way her brown eyes opened in surprise. What was it with military women and their independence, he wondered. Sam was exactly the same; always taken aback at the idea someone might want to help them.

'Actually, I would appreciate it if you could talk with her, Doctor Jackson.' Janet said.

'I know there's probably some military protocol why you need to call me Doctor Jackson in meetings,' Daniel said with a faint air of exasperation, 'but when it's just the two of us, can you please just call me Daniel?'

'Daniel.' Janet agreed. 'And I'm Janet.'

'When you're not poking me with needles.'

'When I'm not poking you with needles.' Janet laughed.

They both smiled at each other. The frisson of attraction caught both of them by surprise.

Daniel cleared his throat. 'So…'

'So…' Janet said hurriedly. 'I'm thinking about getting Cassie into art therapy.'

'Art therapy sounds good.' Daniel agreed, possibly more enthusiastically than was warranted.

Janet nodded and gave a sigh of relief as the elevator finally arrived. They both got into the cramped compartment and Daniel hit the button for the infirmary floor.

'I've been meaning to ask you to stop by the infirmary.' Janet said, trying to regain a professional footing.

'Oh?'

'I just wanted to ask how you've found everything since the incident with Hathor.'

'Good.' Daniel shot back immediately. He wrapped his arms his body before belatedly realising the tell-tale body language had given away his inner unease. He sighed. 'I'm trying not to think about it too much.'

'You know I could still refer you to…'

'No.' Daniel interrupted her. 'No. Thank you.' He smiled a little grimly. 'I might not have…' he searched for a word, 'completely…totally…accepted what happened yet but…' he shrugged, 'I'm getting there.'

'Well, if you do need to talk to someone, my door's always open.' Janet said gently.

'Thank you.' Daniel said even though he knew he would never take her up on the offer. It had been bad enough discussing the barest details of the whole thing with Jack. He was relieved when the elevator doors opened and they spilled out onto the corridor. They reached an intersection.

'Well, I'm going this way.' Janet motioned to her right in the direction of her office.

'I'm going to see Teal'c.' Daniel said, waving ahead of him towards the recovery room the Jaffa had been placed in.

'OK, so…' Janet wondered why she felt so awkward.

'I'll come round tomorrow to see Cassie.' Daniel promised.

'Great. I'll see you then.' Janet said brightly. 'I'll…er…' she gave a small wave and headed down the corridor.

Daniel watched her as she briskly strode away from him, shook himself slightly and continued on to his destination. He paused in the doorway for a moment and took in the unusual sight of seeing the Jaffa in a medical bed. Teal'c's symbiote usually healed him so quickly that he rarely required any recovery time in the infirmary. It had been a nasty staff blast but still…Daniel wondered if Janet was right; if Teal'c's emotional state was affecting his recovery.

'Hey.' Daniel took a step inside the room and closed the door behind him. 'I thought I'd check in, see how you were doing.'

'I am fine, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c's voice rumbled across the room but he didn't look at the archaeologist.

Daniel looked at the tension in the Jaffa's body; the way the dark eyes stared with suppressed emotion up at the ceiling. 'No.' He stated quietly. 'You're not fine.'

The Jaffa's dark eyes jerked towards him.

Daniel put his coffee mug on the bedside table and drew up a chair. He sat down next to the bed. 'Look, Teal'c, I only know a little of what you did as Apophis's First Prime and I can't imagine the rest; I'm not sure I'd want to.' The Jaffa looked away from him. 'But what I do know is that you were often placed in the position of having to make some very difficult choices.'

He gestured at Teal'c. 'And what I know is that you tried to make the best choice you could each time; you still tried to save as many people you could. I can't imagine having to decide which villager to kill in order to save the rest…or which woman to choose as a host so the rest could live…and I can't imagine how those decisions must weigh on you. And I know they do weigh on you, Teal'c, because at heart you're a…a good person.'

Teal'c remained silent but Daniel could see the muscles clenching in his neck, along his jaw-line; he was listening.

'I think I know, Teal'c, why you wanted to go through Cor-ai.' Daniel murmured in the silent room. 'You want redemption for what you did and you think you can get that by being punished, by allowing your victims to enact retribution for the dishonourable acts you committed.' He kept his gaze on the Jaffa's tense face. 'I think there's a large part of you that doesn't believe you deserve mercy for what you did.' He pushed his glasses up his nose. 'I don't think you even understand why Hanno let you live.'

'He was grateful for my assistance in defeating the Jaffa who attacked them.' Teal'c said simply. It was the only conclusion he had been able to make.

'No.' Daniel shook his head. 'He changed his mind because he saw that you truly weren't the Jaffa that killed his father. You weren't the dishonourable coward he thought you were that had simply shot an old crippled man rather than risk his own death and others.' He paused. 'Or the dishonourable coward _you_ think you are who doesn't deserve a second chance.'

The words had Teal'c's head jerking towards him.

'He forgave you, Teal'c.' Daniel said softly. 'And so do I.'

Teal'c looked away again and swallowed hard against the churn of emotions.

'But it doesn't really matter if I forgive you or if Hanno forgives you,' Daniel said, 'you have to forgive yourself.'

'I cannot.' Teal'c said so quietly Daniel almost missed the words.

There was silence for a while as Daniel wondered how best to comfort his friend; if he could comfort him.

He sighed. 'As hard as this is to believe, Teal'c, I know some of how you feel.' Daniel held the Jaffa's dark questioning gaze. 'I can't forgive myself either.'

'For what, Daniel Jackson?' Teal'c couldn't think of an act Daniel had committed which would cause the other man to feel such a weight of guilt that would colour his voice in such a tone of self-recrimination.

'I unburied the Abydos Stargate.' Daniel said simply. His regret shone in his blue eyes. 'If I had only left it buried, Sha're and Skaara would never have…' his throat closed over the words.

'Apophis would have taken a ship to Abydos.' Teal'c said firmly.

'Maybe.' Daniel allowed. 'But we'll never know, will we?'

'Your act was not to intentionally harm, Daniel Jackson. Mine…' he stopped abruptly.

'Your acts were to do the least harm possible when it was impossible to do no harm at all.' Daniel pointed out.

'It does not change what I did.' Teal'c was unable to hold the words back.

'No.' Daniel agreed. 'But when you were First Prime you never had a real choice. Now you do have a real choice and I don't see you killing the defenceless; I see you protecting them.' He saw his words register with the Jaffa. He bit his lip. He didn't think anything else he would say would help Teal'c; he wasn't sure if what he'd said had helped at all. 'I should let you rest. Maybe I can drop by later and we can have a game of Jackals and Hounds?'

'I would like that.' Teal'c said gruffly.

Teal'c watched as the younger man rose from the chair, pushed it back against the wall and picked up his coffee mug.

Daniel's hand was on the door handle when he turned back to the Jaffa. 'I just want you to know, Teal'c, I'm glad you're my friend.'

'As I am glad you are mine, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c replied. He watched Daniel leave and stared at the ceiling for a long moment, the other man's words racing through his head.

From the time of his youth, Teal'c had known the only way to survive was to be a warrior for the Goa'uld; the more powerful a warrior, the greater the position of power held. He had wanted to be First Prime. Bra'tac had taught him well but he had also warned him of what was to come; that Teal'c would commit acts that would prey on his soul. Teal'c had not believed him; not until the first time Apophis had ordered him to kill an entire village – the women and children included. He had so much innocent blood on his hands that he no longer saw the individual faces of those he had killed; there were too many.

But Bra'tac had also taught him that as First Prime he could temper the will of the Goa'uld and Teal'c had tried. When Apophis would order a village destroyed, Teal'c would try hard to sway him to show mercy for the women and children; when Apophis killed woman after woman rejected by Ammonet, Teal'c had tried harder to select a woman who would end the choosing. When Apophis demanded one villager be killed or they all would die; Teal'c had chosen to kill one and save the others; he had chosen to kill Hanno's father.

Teal'c shifted his wounded leg into a better position. He had not blamed Hanno for wanting revenge; for wanting justice. He would have demanded the same in his place. Hanno's change of heart on seeing Teal'c save the Byrsa from the attacking Jaffa still seemed incredible to him. Were all humans capable of such acts of forgiveness? Or had Daniel Jackson's example persuaded the other man in some way?

When Daniel had told him after their first mission together that he couldn't forgive him that day but he would one day, Teal'c had believed that day would never arrive. His part in the abduction of Sha're, in her implantation was too great for the archaeologist to forgive. If he were Daniel Jackson…he could not contemplate befriending him, could not contemplate arguing with the Byrsa to spare his life, or having the compassion to comfort him. Yet, Daniel had done all of those things.

_'This Teal'c is my friend.' _

Perhaps, Teal'c considered as he settled back against the pillows and deepened his breathing, his path to redemption was not in finding someone to exact payment for his past but in how he shaped this second chance he had been given. Teal'c knew his own nature and what he was; he was a warrior. He would kill again as he had killed Shak'l, who he had known and who he grieved for, to defend the Byrsa and himself. But he could become more than a warrior, and he believed Daniel Jackson had much to teach him in that regard; of compassion, mercy and forgiveness. Perhaps in this way he could find the redemption he sought. The comforting thought was his last as he slipped into a meditative state to heal.

o-O-o

Jack was on the back porch with his eyes turned up to the sky and a beer in his hand when he dimly heard the sound of car pulling up outside the front of the house. He sighed. Daniel must have changed his mind about staying on the base and borrowed a car, he thought. He winced at the edge of resentment but inwardly acknowledged that he had been looking forward to spending the evening alone especially after the events of the last mission. They really needed to find Daniel a new apartment, he thought as he gulped back another mouthful of beer.

Daniel would probably want to talk. Jack wondered how he could head off the younger man and felt a pang of guilt. The Cor-ai had been tough on the archaeologist. He'd been made to talk openly about his relationship and his feelings for Teal'c in regards to what had happened with Sha're. Jack knew Daniel and Teal'c had been building a good relationship over the past months and he hated the idea that the mission could have rocked that in any way. It was bad enough he felt the mission had rocked his own relationship with Teal'c a little given their opposing views over the Jaffa's guilt and whether he should have subjected himself to the Cor-ai or not. He should probably give Daniel a sympathetic ear, if not as his friend as his team-leader, Jack thought morosely as he heard footsteps coming around the side of the house, but the truth was he wasn't in the mood.

He glanced up as the footsteps reached the decking and his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of General Hammond dressed in civvies and carrying a pack of beer.

The older man cleared his throat and gestured at the bench seat Jack was resting on. 'Mind if I join you?'

Do I get a choice? The words popped into Jack's head but he managed to suppress the urge to say them. He waved at the bench. 'Make yourself comfortable, sir.'

Hammond nodded and took a seat. He grabbed a beer and offered it to Jack who shook his head.

'I'm good.' Jack gestured with the bottle he held.

Hammond said nothing; he simply opened the bottle and leaned back.

For a long while the two men sat in silence, staring up at the night sky and both wondering what to say to the other. Hammond's eyes drifted to the looming moon and he sighed.

'You know the night I watched them land on the moon I thought we'd travel to other planets but I had no idea we'd be doing it through an alien metal ring.' He shifted on the bench and took a sip of his beer.

'Where were you, sir?' Jack asked curious.

Hammond gave a brief laugh as he remembered. 'In a hospital room with my father.' He shook his head. 'He'd had his first heart attack two days before and the doctors weren't keen on him watching it but he insisted though. He was a tough old coot.' He smiled fondly at the memory of his late father before he turned to Jack. 'You?'

'Next door to where we lived had a party.' Jack said. 'There must have been about thirty people crowded into that house.'

There was another silence, a little more relaxed than the last, a little more companionable.

'Tough day, huh?' Hammond said quietly.

Jack stiffened a little in response and lowered his beer. 'You could say that, sir.'

Hammond sighed. 'Lose the ranks, Jack.'

'OK.' Jack agreed readily. 'So why are you here?'

The General gave a brief laugh. 'Well, I guess I should have expected that.'

Jack simply looked back at him expectantly.

'I thought we should talk.' Hammond admitted.

'I'm fine.' Jack's reply was immediate and it had been the response Hammond had been expecting.

'You forget, Jack,' Hammond said mildly, 'I've read your service record.'

Jack looked away and tipped his bottle back gulping down more beer.

'I'm figuring Teal'c's situation hit a little close to the mark.' Hammond continued.

'A little.' Jack allowed wryly.

Hammond brushed his thumb over the label on his bottle. 'Your situation isn't the same as Teal'c's though.'

'No?' Jack stared out into the garden. He could make out the outline of trees and shrubs in the shadows cast from the houselights behind them; the same lights which cast the two men in a puddle of orange. Eventually, he shrugged. 'I don't see the difference. Teal'c was acting on orders from Apophis; back when I was in Special Forces, I was acting on orders from my chain of command.'

'Are you equating your old chain of command to a Goa'uld?' Hammond asked sharply.

'No.' Jack said. 'But just because my actions weren't ordered by a snake doesn't make what I did any less…' he struggled for a word to describe the horror of what he had done.

'Distasteful?' Hammond suggested.

'Yeah.' Jack grimaced. 'That.' He knocked back another mouthful of beer.

'We've all done some distasteful things, Jack.' Hammond let his own eyes move to the garden and the darkness. 'I remember after coming back from 'Nam…there were days I thought I'd never wash the stain from my soul or forgive myself for what I did.' He harrumphed. 'Still are.'

Jack glanced at his CO briefly; the look of pain on the other man's face was so intense he had to look away again. He felt some of his reluctance give way; some of his guard drop. He sighed. 'Teal'c asked me if I had ever shot a man and seen the tears in the eyes of his son. You know what I said to him? I said not exactly.' He shook his head and hunched forward. 'I should have said yes. Yes, I know what that's like. And I know what it's like to shoot the boy next because he's picking up his father's rifle and I can't take the risk of him alerting more soldiers.' He grimaced. 'A boy, for crying out loud. He couldn't have been any older than Charlie.' He stopped abruptly as though the mention of his late son had caught him by surprise.

'That was your last mission.' Hammond stated.

'Before I transferred out?' Jack nodded. He stared at his beer.

Hammond didn't need Jack to fill in the rest; three weeks after his transfer, Jack's son had been shot while playing with Jack's gun and he had died. Soon after that Jack had been assigned the Abydos suicide mission and well, that brought them up to date in many respects.

'All this time I've been telling myself that each mission, each,' Jack pulled a face, 'distasteful thing I did was because I was following orders, making the world a better place.' He took a sip of beer to wash away the bitter taste in his mouth. 'But really it's a load of crap.'

'How so?' Hammond asked softly.

'Teal'c stood there and took full responsibility for what he did.' Jack answered. 'He wouldn't use the fact that Apophis had ordered him, hell would probably have killed him if he hadn't followed the order, as an excuse for what he did.' He sighed. 'He stood there and took full responsibility for his actions.'

'We live by the chain of command, Jack.' Hammond said. 'So long as the order is lawful, we're obliged to carry it out.'

'You know I'm just not sure I believe in the whole chain of command thing anymore.' Jack blinked in surprise at his own admission and wondered if he'd drunk too much beer already; it was his first one.

Hammond sighed. 'I know you think I let you and your team down today, Jack.'

'It's not that.' Jack replied automatically. He caught Hammond's look of disbelief. 'OK. Maybe a little that.' He allowed. 'But I know you did everything you could even though you disagreed with me.'

'There's never any easy decisions.' Hammond said. 'If we had ordered an attack on the Byrsa, you may have ended up committing the same acts of aggression against them as the original atrocity Apophis himself perpetrated. I'm not sure you could have truly lived with that any easier than living with Teal'c being executed by them for a crime he did commit.'

Jack was silent as he absorbed the truth of Hammond's words.

'That's why the chain of command exists.' Hammond reminded him. 'So you don't have to make that choice.' He sighed deeply. 'I can't say why Teal'c felt that he needed to take full responsibility. I'm ashamed to say that I probably haven't gotten to know him much beyond his intel on the Goa'uld and the Jaffa. But it seems to me that the chain of command concept doesn't truly exist with the Goa'uld and the Jaffa. The Goa'uld don't give orders to relieve the Jaffa of the burden of responsibility; if anything they give the Jaffa orders to place the burden more fully on their shoulders.'

'I guess.' Jack said. He was feeling a little ashamed to admit that he hadn't tried to get know Teal'c's culture himself beyond the tactical advantages they needed to fight the Goa'uld.

'Possibly Doctor Jackson could explain it.' Hammond suggested.

'Possibly.' Jack agreed. Even with his issues with Teal'c, Daniel had probably reached out to try and understand the Jaffa culture, Jack mused wryly. He shook his head.

'He's a unique individual.' Hammond said thoughtfully. 'I don't know another man alive who would befriend Teal'c the way he has done after everything Teal'c did to him.'

'Daniel just does the right thing.' Jack said simply. 'And he expects everybody else just to do the right thing too.' Daniel had expected the Byrsa to free Teal'c when they had understood the Jaffa's motivations and the good he could do; ultimately he had been right even if it had taken an attack for the Byrsa to see it. 'I envy that.' He confessed.

'Me too.' Hammond admitted. 'Although I'd like to think we're going to operate in a way at the SGC that isn't just lawful but is also morally and ethically sound.'

'I'll drink to that.'

The clink of their bottles sounded loudly in the garden.

'I hope Daniel doesn't change,' Jack said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, 'that this fight with the Goa'uld doesn't change him.' He fiddled with his bottle. 'That he never stops trying to do the right thing.'

'Even if it makes your life more difficult?' Hammond asked wryly.

Jack shrugged self-consciously. 'If it means I do the right thing this time round, I think I can live with him and Carter occasionally giving me hassle.'

'Sam?' asked Hammond surprised at the mention of the Captain.

'Sure.' Jack nodded. 'She's really just a Daniel in Air Force clothing.' He quipped.

Hammond laughed at the image.

Jack lowered his bottle suddenly. 'You called her Sam.'

Hammond winced at the edge of accusation. 'Well I did say no ranks.' He tried to cover and knew from the knowing look on the Colonel's face that it was a futile attempt.

'You know her.' Jack stated pointing his bottle at the General.

Hammond sighed under the other man's even and relentless stare. 'I served with her father.'

Jack cast his mind back to Sam's service record. If his memory was correct her father was another Major General; Jacob Carter. 'I see.'

'I assigned her to your team because she was the best for the job.' Hammond said forcefully. 'Not for any other reason.'

'I don't doubt it, sir.' Jack assured him hurriedly. 'And if I may say so, she was an excellent choice.'

Hammond gave a huff of breath. 'I would be grateful if we could keep this between the two of us.'

'Of course.' Jack quickly agreed. He could imagine the fallout for Sam if her connection with the General was widely known.

'Good.' Hammond put his beer down; it was still mostly full – he hadn't come to drink. 'Well, I should get going.'

Jack walked him round to his car.

'Thanks for the pep talk, sir.' Jack said as Hammond opened the car door.

Hammond glanced over at the Colonel. 'I would thank Sam if I were you.' He said getting in.

'Sam, sir?' Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Hammond stuck his head out of the driver's window. 'What did you call her? A Daniel in Air Force clothing?' He considered her visit to his office for a moment. 'Sounds about right to me.'


	16. Humming

**Author's Note:** Hammond/Jacob friendship. Sam/Janet friendship. Team friendship.

**Enigma Recap:** _SG1 arrive on a planet undergoing extreme volcanic activity and find a group of survivors. They take them back to the SGC. The leader Omak after revealing the group are from a planet called Tollana refuses to say anything further. The group while descended from humans are actually ahead of them technologically. One of the men, Narim, develops feelings for Sam and reveals to her that the Tollans had once given an advanced energy source to a neighbouring planet which had ultimately led to the destruction of that world; the Tollans had been wary ever since about aiding civilisations less advanced than their own. The NID, under the command of Colonel Maybourne, turns up to take the Tollans into custody, but SG1 and General Hammond work together to thwart them. Daniel provides a liaison to the Tollans helping them contact the Nox who arrive and help the Tollans escape. An angry Maybourne leaves the SGC as SG1 contemplate the successful conclusion of their plan. _

**Humming **

'George!'

The familiar shout from the other end of the Pentagon corridor caught General Hammond's attention and he turned swiftly to greet the other General striding towards him with a warm smile. 'Jacob.'

Had they been in an informal location, the two men might have indulged in the manly version of a hug as it was they settled for a firm hand-clasp and brief pat on each other's shoulder.

'It's good to see you again, Jake.' Hammond said as they both took the measure of the other. Both were the same age, around the same height, Jacob carried a little less weight than Hammond but they were both of stocky build and were both sporting less hair than the last time the two men had seen each other. There the similarities ended; Jacob's dark eyes and colouring were a contrast to the fair man looking back at him.

'It's good to see you too, George.' Jacob took up a military stance; it was an automatic reflex after so many years in the Air Force. 'Do you have time for a quick drink before you leave?'

Hammond glanced at his watch and agreed readily. His flight back to Petersen didn't leave for another couple of hours and it would be good to spend the time unwinding given the day of meetings he had just been through.

He had been recalled to Washington DC to explain why his command had not done more to assist the NID in preventing a group of advanced aliens escaping from the SGC. Given that he had been aware of the plan SG1 had concocted to contact the Nox to assist the Tollans in escaping, had agreed with their belief that not allowing the NID to subject the Tollans to forced intellectual labour was the right thing to do, it felt like it had been a day of walking a particularly thin high wire. Jacob suggested a small public bar that the two of them knew well and George offered his car to provide transport; they would drop Jacob at his destination before continuing onto Andrews after their drink.

It wasn't too long before the two men sat at a highly polished mahogany bar with two crystal tumblers of the finest whiskey and bourbon sat in front of them.

'So the rumour on the grapevine was that you were in town for a roasting.' Jacob said as they both reached for their drinks.

Hammond waited until the first gulp of the smooth fiery liquid slid down the back of his throat before he answered. 'You could say that.'

'How did you manage that?' Jacob asked. 'I thought deep space radar telemetry was supposed to be your easy gig into retirement?' His mocking tone gave away his awareness that a cover story was in place.

Hammond gave a huff of laughter. 'Let's just say that life doesn't always turn out the way you expect.'

'Tell me about it.' Jacob said, taking a sip of whiskey.

Hammond glanced over at his friend and frowned at the serious expression on Jacob's face. 'What's up, Jake?'

Jacob's guarded dark eyes met Hammond's. 'I have cancer.'

'Damn. Jacob…' Hammond sighed, his blue eyes regretful. 'I'm sorry.'

'Me too.' Jacob said, tossing the whiskey back and indicating for the barman to give him a refill.

'Do you know the prognosis yet?' Hammond asked. He was more fully conversant with the ordeal of a cancer patient than he cared to admit; his wife had died of the disease.

'They're still doing tests.' Jacob shrugged. 'It's early days.'

'I take it you haven't told the kids yet?' Hammond surmised. He was sure Jacob's daughter, Samantha Carter, would have informed him despite the restrictions placed on their personal relationship since she had become a Captain under his command and Jacob hadn't spoken with his son Mark for years.

Jacob shook his head. 'There's nothing to tell yet, George. It could all be a storm in a tea-cup.' He pointed a finger at Hammond's unhappy face. 'And you're not to tell Sam. I'll tell her in my own time, when I'm ready.'

Hammond nodded slowly. 'You have my word, Jacob, but I still think you should tell her yourself; she'd want to know.'

'So she could do what?' Jacob responded heatedly. 'Run back to Washington to take care of her old man leaving the exciting world of deep space telemetry or whatever the hell it is you do really?'

Hammond sighed. 'You're the most stubborn old coot I've ever had the displeasure of knowing.' The fondness in his tone was a strange contradiction to the words.

Jacob raised his glass. 'Thanks, George.' He swallowed another gulp of his drink. 'How is Sam?'

'She's good.' Hammond beamed proudly at the thought of the young blonde Air Force Captain and theoretical astrophysicist. 'She's a fine officer, Jacob. Her CO's very pleased with her.'

'Her CO, huh?' Jacob sipped his drink. 'Who is he?' He asked in an easy, lazy manner as though the answer didn't matter to him.

Hammond opened his mouth to reply and shut it again abruptly. Telling Jacob Carter that his daughter's CO was an ex-Special Forces Colonel was equivalent to admitting that the deep space radar telemetry was a cover. 'I can't tell you that, Jake.'

'Why not?' Jacob asked. His eyes twinkled mischievously. 'Might it be classified, George?'

'I just don't want you hassling one of my officers.' Hammond retorted.

'I bet he's another science geek like Sam.' Jacob said decisively.

Hammond almost choked on his drink at the thought of anyone calling the SG1 leader, Colonel Jack O'Neill, a man with a self-professed dislike of scientists, a science geek. He couldn't prevent the small smile that tugged at his lips. 'Let's just say that he has a love of astronomy.'

Jacob knew he was missing something but he also knew his friend well enough to know that George would never divulge what it was that Sam was really doing or anything that might hint at it. Deep space radar telemetry his ass, Jacob thought derisively. 'She called me the week before last.'

'She did?' Hammond lowered his glass.

'She seemed upset.' Jacob commented, looking down into the amber liquid in his glass.

Hammond thought back to the time Jacob had indicated; probably the whole incident with Cassie, the young orphan girl they had rescued from Hanka, he deduced. Sam had become very attached to the little girl. There had been a tough couple of days when they had discovered Cassie had been used as a Trojan horse by the Goa'uld; a bomb had been placed inside her and only the strange fluke of taking her away from the Stargate to contain what they had thought was going to be the imminent explosion had disintegrated it without incident. Cassie was fine and being adopted by their CMO, Janet Fraiser, and Sam…Sam had been through an emotional roller-coaster but as far as Hammond could tell, the rest of SG1 had supported her through it. 'She had a rough couple of days.' He allowed.

'Analysing deep space radar telemetry?' Jacob said sarcastically.

'We have our moments.' Hammond said.

'Like this thing with the NID?' Jacob threw out casually.

Hammond stared at him. 'Jake…'

'OK, OK.' Jacob held up a hand. 'I'll back off.' He threw back the rest of his drink. 'Just tell me one thing, George.'

'What's that?' Hammond asked warily.

'Is she happy?' Jacob asked simply.

Hammond gave the question serious consideration and nodded. 'You know, Jacob, I really think she is.'

o-O-o

'You kissed him!' Janet's eyebrows shot up as Sam shushed her.

'Janet!' Sam said laughing. 'I'd rather not let the whole base know.' She was perched on a table in the relative privacy of the doctor's office eating lunch and looking over the data Janet had collated on the Tollan physiology. Janet sat next to her in her office chair with a shocked but conspiratorial grin on her face at the news that Sam had kissed one of the Tollan visitors, Narim.

'Sorry.' Janet said automatically, forking up another salad leaf. 'Actually, I'm not sorry.' She pointed the fork at Sam. 'As your friend I expected this information the minute after it happened. Why am I only finding out about it now? A whole two days later?'

'Well, I was busy showing Daniel how to hypothetically rig the system so the NID would only find out about the Tollans escape at the last minute immediately after.' Sam replied. 'And then I was busy having to investigate the system for any evidence of Daniel's actions.' Or rather had spent her time ensuring there was no evidence of what Daniel had done left in the system to be discovered.

Janet tilted her head and seemed to consider whether or not that was a valid excuse as she chewed. 'OK.' She allowed after swallowing. 'I'll let you off.'

Sam rolled her blue eyes. 'Thank you.'

'So…' a wicked twinkle appeared in the doctor's dark eyes, 'how was it?'

'Janet!' Sam laughed, blushing.

'Oh come on.' Janet teased. 'You can't tell me you kissed an alien and then refuse to divulge details.'

'The Tollans are human.' Sam retorted. She gestured at the computer monitor. 'This data proves that.'

'But they're more advanced than us.' Janet rejoined. 'Does that extend to…uh…kissing?'

Sam sighed heavily but her shining blue eyes gave away her own light-heartedness about their conversation. She grinned. 'Maybe.'

'Maybe?' Janet repeated. She speared a tomato. 'Details, Sam. I want details.'

'It was…' Sam searched for an appropriate descriptive word, 'sweet.'

'Sweet.' Janet rolled the word around in her mouth. 'That doesn't sound like it was a passionate, want to tear your clothes off and have wild monkey sex type of a kiss.'

'That's because it wasn't.' Sam admitted. She had to admit she'd had very few of the kisses Janet was describing in her life. Her mind flashed back to a certain locker room incident with her CO when she had been suffering from an alien virus and she blushed deeply. She looked up from her plate of food and found Janet staring at her curiously. 'What?'

'Nothing.' Janet said innocently. She had a feeling she knew Sam was thinking about a time when she had been kissed like that but if it was the incident Janet was thinking of, she knew it wouldn't be fair to tease the other woman about it. 'Sweet, huh?' She asked dragging the subject back to Narim's kiss.

'It was nice.' Sam said, licking the salad dressing from her fork.

'Nice. Sweet.' Janet shook her head making the brown bob sway. 'That doesn't sound to me like there was chemistry.'

Sam set her plate aside and nodded jerkily. 'You're right.' She admitted.

'Then…'

'Why kiss him?' Sam completed the question. She sighed and crossed her arms over the green jumpsuit she wore. 'I don't know exactly. He literally shared his feelings with me and all I was feeling were his feelings.' Her lips twisted. 'Did that make sense?'

'No.' Janet said laughing. 'You're talking about this emotional recorder thing you mentioned?'

'Yep.' Sam frowned. 'It was incredible, Janet. I switched it on and I could feel what he felt every time he saw me.'

'And that was…?' Janet prompted.

Sam's cheeks reddened again. 'Like I saved his life.'

'You did.' Janet pointed out.

'But it was weird.' Sam admitted. 'I mean I know they weren't my feelings for him but his for me yet I felt them.'

Janet watched her amused. She had a feeling the illogic of feeling someone else's emotions was driving the very logical scientist nuts.

Sam shook her head. 'Weird.'

'Which is what you were feeling when he kissed you.' Janet surmised.

'Exactly.' Sam nodded enthusiastically. 'And it was nice and I was flattered so I kissed him back.'

'And then?' Janet urged her to continue.

'And then Daniel walked in.' Sam said, referring to her team-mate, Daniel Jackson.

Janet almost choked on her food. 'Daniel?' She stared giggling.

Sam nodded. 'I think his exact word was 'whoops'.' The mental image of Daniel's startled expression had her own laughter bubbling up.

'I'm sure it was.' Janet said through her chuckles.

'Stop laughing.' Sam said, smiling as she began to giggle herself.

'At least it wasn't Colonel O'Neill.' Janet pointed out continuing to laugh.

'Don't!' Sam groaned dramatically and put her head in her hands. She peeked out at the doctor. 'Can you imagine?'

The two of them burst into another round of laughter at their mental image of the Colonel walking in on Sam kissing Narim.

Sam wiped a tear from her eye, thanked her guardian angel that it had been Daniel and not the Colonel and settled back. 'Anyway I've sworn Daniel to secrecy. Narim was very sweet and I was very flattered but…'

'But there was no spark.' Janet completed again.

'No spark.' Sam nodded. 'I wouldn't have kissed him if not for his…'

'Sharing his feelings for you.' Janet said.

'Exactly.' Sam knew she would never have kissed him otherwise. Narim was sweet and kind and…not her type.

'Well, it's just as well you're not likely to see him again,' Janet said, putting her own plate on the desk, 'I guess there won't be a need for the awkward conversation.'

'True.' Sam agreed happily.

'It was nice of you to give him your cat.' Janet said.

Sam shrugged. 'I haven't exactly been around to look after Schrödinger very much lately.'

Janet smiled sympathetically. 'I know the feeling. This past week with Cassie has been an eye-opener. I'm glad General Hammond authorised my leave.'

'When does it start?' Sam asked curious.

'Today. End of shift.' Janet said thankfully.

'If you need any help…'

'I know.' Janet said. 'I just need to ask you guys.' She sighed. 'You've done so much already.'

'We're not keeping count, Janet.' Sam replied firmly. 'We're all pretty attached to Cassie ourselves you know.'

Janet nodded. 'Well, you guys did save her.'

'So did you.' Sam reminded her. 'How's she doing?'

'Good actually.' Janet said as though it surprised her. 'Daniel talked to her about losing her parents and I think that helped.'

'He's good like that.' Sam said fondly. Daniel was one of the most compassionate people Sam had ever met.

'Well, let's hope he's just as good at keeping secrets.' Janet said dryly.

Sam rolled her eyes and reached for the report she had abandoned on a side table before they had begun their lunch. 'So where were we?'

Janet sighed but accepted the change in subject reaching for her own report as they both turned their attention back to work.

o-O-o

Sam waited patiently for the elevator, flipping through her report on the MALP telemetry for P4A771, the next planet SG1 was scheduled to visit, for the briefing she was about to attend. The planet looked good. No signs of inhabitation, monoliths near the Stargate that Daniel had gotten excited about – something about a similarity to some place on Earth that Sam had to admit she had tuned out – and a sunny climate. They were scheduled to stay twenty-four hours on the planet and Sam was looking forward to it. They'd had a tough month; apart from Cassie, Daniel had been presumed dead for a few days before they'd realised he was alive, a queen Goa'uld had tried to take over the base, Teal'c had received a late reprieve from an execution and then there had been the latest thing with the Tollans…

She sighed and closed the report, stepping forward to press the elevator button again impatiently. She figured they could all do with a quiet, non-eventful mission after everything that had happened. Her mind drifted back to her kiss with Narim. She had to admit that she was thankful that she avoided as Janet had called it earlier 'the awkward conversation.' Knowing in truth about how he felt about her would have made it doubly difficult as she would have been aware of the hurt she was inflicting. Nope. It had been best all round that he had left and they wouldn't meet again. Still…it was nice, more than nice, to feel that someone had wanted her that much, that someone had recognised she was an attractive woman underneath the soldier…

The elevator finally arrived and the doors slid open to reveal the rest of SG1 already inside the compartment. The Colonel beckoned her in with a smile that she returned absently as she took her place in the front while he continued his conversation with Daniel which seemed to be some kind of debate about whether it was acceptable for men to hold hands when walking through solid walls together. The elevator started moving downwards again. Sam flipped open the report and started to hum under her breath.

Behind her, Jack O'Neill stopped listening to Daniel's impassioned arguing about the sociological norms of male behaviour and stared at Sam. Was she _humming_? He didn't think he'd heard her hum before. His questioning brown eyes glanced across at Teal'c. The large, dark-skinned Jaffa had also observed the humming and was watching the young blonde Captain with a faintly quizzical expression, one eyebrow raised in a delicate arch.

'…and you're not even listening to me!' Daniel finished, gesturing dramatically with his coffee mug.

'That's because Carter's humming.' Jack said loudly.

Sam stopped abruptly and turned to look at each of her team-mates apologetically. 'I was?'

'You were.' Jack confirmed.

'Indeed, Captain Carter.' Teal'c said. 'You were…humming.'

They looked at Daniel expectantly.

He pushed his glasses up his nose. 'I didn't hear it.'

'You didn't?' Jack asked astounded. 'How did you not hear it?'

'I was trying to tell you about…'

'Ah!' Jack held up a warning finger and Daniel subsided with a frustrated sigh.

'Sorry.' Sam flashed them a bright smile and turned back to the front of the compartment willing the elevator to increase its speed and deliver them to the briefing room without any delay.

'Why?' Jack asked.

'Why what sir?' Sam replied.

'Why were you humming?' Jack asked suspiciously.

'Can't a person hum?' Sam said a little desperately.

'Carter, how long have we known each other?' Jack stopped her from answering with the same gesture that had prevented a rerun of Daniel's lecture. 'Rhetorical question.' He added just to be certain; he had a feeling that she could probably tell him down to the exact minute and second. 'And in all that time I have never heard you hum.'

'O'Neill is correct, Captain Carter.' Teal'c said. 'I have never heard you hum until this day.' His dark gaze scoured her wonderingly.

Sam shrugged and avoided their eyes. 'It's no big deal.' She insisted.

'Now you say that,' Jack said, 'and I know it's a big deal.'

Sam decided the wisest course of action was to say nothing.

'Daniel,' Jack began turning to the younger man, 'don't you have some theory on…' he stopped seeing the archaeologist's eyes slide away guiltily. His brown gaze narrowed on him. 'You know.' The accusation echoed in the compartment and Jack knew he was right as he saw Sam's spine snap into rigid straightness.

'I don't.' Daniel hurriedly denied.

'Yes, you do.' Jack contradicted. 'You know why she's humming.'

'Once again,' Teal'c said, supporting him, 'I believe O'Neill is correct.'

'Really,' Daniel said, clutching his folders to his body a lot tighter than was necessary, 'I don't know anything.'

Jack glared at him as did Teal'c.

'Besides it might not even be…' Daniel began to explain.

'Daniel.' Sam whirled around to face him with a furious scowl. 'You promised!'

'Promised what?' Jack asked, trying to wheedle the information out of one of them.

Daniel ducked his head. 'Guys, please. Don't put me in the middle of this.'

'Middle of what?' Jack pressed.

'Daniel.' Sam's blue eyes flashed warningly.

Daniel sighed and raised his head to meet Jack's relentless stare. 'It's no use, Jack. She's right. I promised.'

'Thank you.' Sam breathed out again in relief.

'I could beat it out of you.' Jack offered casually still staring at Daniel.

'Yes but you're forgetting one thing.' Daniel said, adjusting his glasses again.

'What?'

'Sam would protect me.' Daniel pointed out. He and Sam exchanged a conspiratorial grin.

Teal'c tilted his head. 'A valid argument against such a plan.' He concluded.

Jack sighed, admitting defeat. He'd get it out of Daniel after the mission, he determined. 'Yeah, well. I want you to know that I'm only giving up on my plan because I don't want to see the mission delayed.'

'And because you're scared of Sam.' Daniel muttered under his breath.

'What?' Jack asked not sure he'd heard correctly.

'What?' Daniel plastered an innocent expression on his face.

'I believe Daniel Jackson was commenting on your fear of Captain Carter.' Teal'c said helpfully.

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open.

'We're here.' Sam said brightly, stepping out into the corridor.

Jack shot Daniel a dirty look as the archaeologist grinned and skirted past him.

'No respect, Teal'c. I get no respect.' Jack grumbled good-naturedly as they followed after their team-mates.

'Indeed.' Teal'c said, clasping his hands behind his back and keeping his mischief well-hidden.

Jack looked at him askance. 'You're not supposed to agree with me, for crying out loud.'

Teal'c was saved from a reply as they entered the briefing room and stopped at the sight of General Hammond.

'General.' Jack said cheerfully taking his usual seat at the table next to Carter. 'We weren't expecting to see you back so soon.'

'I got an earlier flight.' Hammond said by way of explanation as he resumed his own seat.

'How was the grilling, sir?' Jack asked.

'Medium rare.' Hammond admitted. 'I think I managed to convince them that Doctor Jackson's involvement extended only to informing the Tollan about the Nox and that the rest of the actions taken were by the Tollans and the Nox themselves and that given their level of technological advancement we had very little ability to stop their escape. I've assured them they won't find any evidence to the contrary.' He looked questioningly at Sam.

'I've been over the system, sir.' She confirmed. 'There's no evidence to be found.'

Hammond took a moment to marvel at the way her statement confirmed she'd completed her task of removing said evidence without admitting it and even giving the impression that her actions had been investigatory. He fought the urge to praise her ingenuity.

His blue eyes moved to Daniel regretfully. 'There will be a letter attached to your employment file noting your actions and you should consider yourself warned, Doctor Jackson not to act in contradiction to your standing orders despite your status as a civilian.'

'Understood.' Daniel said much too cheerfully for someone being chastised.

'And with that, the authorities have determined they won't pursue the matter of the Tollans' escape any further.' Hammond said.

'Excellent, sir.' Jack grinned.

Hammond looked around at the shared relief on the faces of SG1 and nodded. 'Shall we begin the briefing?' He motioned at the Captain. 'If you could begin, Captain Carter?'

'Of course, sir.' Sam flipped open her report and started in on the MALP readings.

An half an hour later, Hammond gave them a go for the mission and rose from the table. 'Captain Carter, please stay behind a minute.'

Jack looked questioningly at his superior officer and Hammond gave a shake of his head. 'Just the Captain, Colonel.'

'I'll catch you up, sir.' Sam said.

Jack nodded unhappily but left her in the briefing room with the General who waved her into his office and closed the door.

Sam turned to the General puzzled. 'Sir?'

He walked around to the other side of his desk. 'Sorry to delay you Captain, but I just wanted to let you know that I ran into your father while I was in Washington.' Hammond felt the words to tell her about Jacob's condition crowd his throat and he swallowed against them hard. 'He sends you his best.'

'Thank you, sir.' Sam smiled at him warmly.

'You might want to give him a call when you get back from your mission.' Hammond suggested.

'Sir?' Sam's brow creased in confusion. 'Is something wrong?'

'No, no.' Hammond denied. He gestured. 'He just mentioned that you called him last week. I think he could do with some reassurance that you're happy here.'

'Well, I am, sir.' Sam said firmly. 'Very happy.'

Hammond acknowledged the warning tone in her voice wryly; Jacob had the exact same pitch when he felt someone was getting close to overstepping their boundaries. He strategically retreated into their official relationship. 'Glad to hear it, Captain. That will be all.'

'Sir.' Sam came to attention and saluted before leaving his office. She shook her head and headed for the stairs. She bet any money her Dad was poking his nose into what she was doing again. She sighed in disgruntlement but the sudden thought that she had brought it on herself occurred to her; she had called her Dad when she'd been upset the week before. Maybe he had actually paid more attention to her than she had thought despite his lack of communication since…she sighed.

She'd call him when she got back from the mission, Sam decided. All he needed was to know she was happy and she was. She was smiling as she took the stairs two at a time; smiling and humming.


	17. Recovering Together

**Author's Note:** Team friendship. Sam/Jack.

**Solitudes Recap:** _An energy blast disturbs the wormhole as SG1 is fleeing a planet; Teal'c and Daniel arrive back at the SGC but Jack and Sam are expelled through another Stargate which has been buried in ice. _

_Jack is badly injured but works with Sam to uncover the DHD; unfortunately despite all of Sam's efforts she can't seem to get the Stargate to work; the wheel dials, the chevrons engage, the ground shakes but the wormhole won't establish. A weakening Jack tells her to leave him. She follows the order reluctantly but is determined to get help. Unfortunately, when she reaches the outside she sees ice and snow as far as the eye can see and realising the futility of attempting to walk any distance, she returns to a delusional Jack and snuggles up beside him to await death._

_Meanwhile back at the SGC, Daniel, Teal'c and Hammond are doing everything possible to find Jack and Sam. When Daniel realises there might be a second gate on Earth and that seismic activity might pinpoint its location, his missing team-mates are discovered and rescued just in time… _

**Recovering Together**

What the hell was that beeping? Colonel Jack O'Neill thought sluggishly. The steady, regular noise was slowly and inextricably pulling him back to consciousness. He finally snapped his brown eyes open to find the source of his displeasure; his gaze landed on a machine; a medical machine monitoring his heart-beat.

Infirmary.

He was in an infirmary. Why would he be in an infirmary? The pain that followed immediately after that thought supplied the reason and prompted a low moan.

'Jack?'

Daniel Jackson's surprised voice preceded the archaeologist's face appearing in Jack's vision.

'You're awake.' Daniel said, gesturing at him. 'Just stay there!'

Jack wondered where he would go as Daniel disappeared from his sight. He reached up and encountered an oxygen mask over his face as he absently considered the small strips of tape across a cut on the other man's forehead. He frowned. When had been Daniel injured? Daniel's injury worried him. Had they been injured in the same mission? His frown deepened. What had been the mission? He couldn't remember. The thought panicked him a little even as he searched through the fog trying to remember something…anything…

Flashes suddenly bombarded him.

The ice cavern…the cold, he'd been so cold…working to recover the DHD with his team-mate Captain Samantha Carter…Sam…where was Sam?

He yanked off the mask. 'Daniel!' Jack's voice croaked out. He swallowed trying to moisten his mouth and tried again. 'Daniel!'

'I'm here.' Daniel reappeared and Jack grabbed his arm, ignoring the pain that shot across his chest as a result.

'Sam?' He asked urgently.

'We got her out too, Jack.' Daniel assured him hurriedly as Jack's eyes searched his frantically. 'She's down the hall. Teal'c's with her.' He said, referring to the Jaffa who was the fourth member of SG1.

Jack subsided back onto the bed and accepted the drink Daniel offered him, sucking up the water through the straw. His mind wandered over the fact that he didn't recognise the infirmary. It was definitely a military infirmary but it wasn't the SGC. 'Where are we?' He asked once his thirst was quenched.

'McMurdo.' Daniel replied. He saw the questions gathering in Jack's eyes even as his ears picked up on the sound of footsteps heading towards them; he hoped it was the doctor he had called out for after Jack had woken up. 'I'll tell you everything later, I promise.'

Jack was about to protest when Daniel stepped back and a man in a white coat replaced him.

'Glad to see you're finally back with us, Colonel. I'm Doctor Higgins.' The tall, dark-haired doctor flashed a penlight in both Jack's eyes making him wince. 'How's the pain?'

'Fine.' Jack muttered.

Higgins looked at him sceptically.

'OK,' Jack conceded, 'there might be a little pain.'

'I'll have the nurse administer some more morphine.' Higgins said as he made a notation on a clipboard.

'What's the damage?' Jack asked tiredly.

'You sustained some internal bleeding which we managed to deal with quite easily once we got you into theatre. You have two cracked ribs on your right side which are taped and your leg has been broken.' Higgins reeled off. 'You were suffering from hypothermia when you arrived but luckily you seemed to have avoided frostbite.'

Jack noted that the doctor seemed relatively disappointed about the lack of frostbite. 'So when can I get out of here?'

'As soon as we're satisfied you're stable you'll be transferred back to Cheyenne Mountain.' Higgins said, examining the readout of the machine.

'And that would be?' Jack pressed.

'I think you're going to be with us for a few days yet.' Higgins commented as he replaced the clipboard at the end of the bed.

'What about Captain Carter?'

Higgins looked confused. 'Captain Carter?'

'The other officer with me.' Jack said sharply.

'I believe my colleague Doctor Wright has been dealing with your colleague.' Higgins said. 'I'm not conversant with the details of her condition. You should try to rest as much as possible.' He continued. 'I'll check in on you later.'

'Can't wait.' Jack muttered as the doctor left him.

'Yeah,' Daniel said, dragging a chair up to sit next to Jack where he could see him comfortably, 'his bedside manner could do with a little warming up.'

'Have you seen Sam?' Jack asked anxiously, figuring even if the doctor didn't know, Daniel was bound to have inquired. 'Is she OK?'

Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose. He couldn't recall Jack being so worried about any of them before but then the experience of being trapped alone together had to have forged a particular kind of bond between Jack and Sam. 'She had hypothermia and some really severe bruising from a couple of falls but she was talking when they brought her in.' About Jack, he remembered, she hadn't stopped telling the medic about his injuries.

'That's good, right?' Jack asked, the worry lessening slightly. If she'd been conscious that had to be good.

'I think so.' Daniel said cautiously.

Jack could feel the slow pull back into sleep; he fought it fiercely. 'McMurdo?'

'This may seem a little hard to believe,' Daniel began leaning forward earnestly, 'but you've been on Earth all the time.'

'No.' Jack denied. 'We were on some ice planet.'

'Antarctica.' Daniel said simply.

'Antarctica?' Jack repeated. 'Really?'

'Really. Think about.' Daniel said gesturing at him. 'If you landed on any remote part of Earth it might feel like a different planet. A desert, a jungle…Antarctica.'

'But there was a gate.' Jack said sure he'd found the flaw in Daniel's logic.

'It's another one.' Daniel explained.

'Another one?' Jack asked sceptically. 'How?'

'We don't know really.' Daniel said. 'We know the Goa'uld didn't build the Stargates and that Ra brought the one we discovered in Giza…I guess he wasn't aware there was already one here.'

'In Antarctica.' Jack said in disbelief.

Daniel nodded. 'Teal'c and I arrived back at the SGC and we think the wormhole then jumped to the nearest Stargate it could find…the second gate here.'

'Carter worked that bit out. About you going back to the SGC and the whole wormhole jumping thing.' Jack said proudly. He could remember how animated her face was as she had described her theories on what had happened.

'Yeah,' Daniel said gently seeing how Jack's expression had softened at the mention of their SG1 team-mate, 'I thought she might.'

'I guess you guys worked it out too.' Jack murmured sleepily.

'After a while. We searched a lot of the planets trying to find you,' Daniel said, 'before I realised we'd missed out one planet we shouldn't have.'

'Earth.' Jack said.

'That's why your attempt to dial home didn't work.'

'There was something wrong with the DHD. Carter couldn't fix it.' Jack frowned, remembering the frustration on her face after she had worked for hours on it.

'No.' Daniel contradicted him softly. 'Sam fixed the DHD but when she tried dialling Earth it was like she was trying to dial her own telephone number so…'

'She got a busy signal.' Jack concluded. Damn. They'd been so close to home all that time.

'But it was enough to light up our gate and make things shake a little.' Daniel said. 'It gave me the idea that there might be another gate on Earth.'

'Good work.' Jack said sincerely. It sounded like everyone – that Daniel – had worked flat out to find them. His eyes suddenly focused on Daniel. The archaeologist was deathly pale with purple shadows under both eyes and a vivid bruise under the thin strips of tape on his head.

'You look like crap.' Jack commented.

Daniel shrugged. He didn't think he'd slept properly since he'd woken up from his concussion and heard the news from Teal'c that Jack and Sam were missing. He'd dozed a little waiting for Jack to come round from surgery but he hadn't actually slept as the faint pounding in his head reminded him constantly.

'Headache?' Jack asked delicately seeing Daniel's hand creep to his forehead.

'A little one.'

'You want some morphine?' Jack asked, indicating the IV. 'I have some.'

'You might need that.' Daniel said with a wry smile. 'You should rest.'

Jack nodded. He couldn't deny the tiredness seeping back into his bones. He settled back on the pillows and closed his eyes. 'And Sam's fine?' He asked again.

'Sam's fine, Jack.' Daniel confirmed. He watched Jack slide back into sleep before he went to tell Teal'c the good news.

o-O-o

Teal'c watched the small huddled figure of Samantha Carter in the infirmary bed with the careful diligence of a Jaffa warrior monitoring an approaching enemy. Teal'c had not found himself as torn as Daniel Jackson on who to stay with when the Colonel was brought out of surgery; he knew O'Neill would expect him to stand guard over their female team-mate and so he did, allowing Daniel to sit with Jack. Teal'c took his duty seriously and vigilantly monitored her every move.

Sam was facing him, curled up on her side under what seemed like a mountain of blankets, and she was sleeping. He could tell it was not a restful sleep even with the sedative he had seen the doctor administer earlier; her brow was creased, her delicate face often contorting into a frown and she would murmur occasionally; sometimes technical terms that Teal'c knew related to a DHD and the Stargate; sometimes the name of the SG1 leader. It had not gone unnoticed by Teal'c that every time she had awoken her first question was always about Colonel O'Neill's status.

He was pleased that he would be able to give her good news the next time she regained consciousness; Daniel had stopped by to inform him that O'Neill had woken for a brief period and had exhibited the same concern for the Captain as she was exhibiting for him. The trauma of their experience had obviously created a deep bond between the two and Teal'c wondered at what that would mean for their relationship bound as it was by the regulations of the military organisation they both served.

The Jaffa had read the regulations but failed to see how something as nebulous as feelings could be governed in such a way. As an experienced commander, he could understand the reasoning and agreed with the aspiration but for him the argument was flawed; a team like SG1 required an intimacy in which emotions such as fondness, respect and even love were fostered. Indeed, Teal'c had concluded that the bonds of affection and friendship between them all were amongst the reasons why they functioned so well as a team.

Teal'c had long been aware that for O'Neill and the Captain their bond was edged with an attraction for each other. He had concluded early in the team's formation that they would make good mates and he had not changed his opinion although upon learning of the regulations he had determined that both officers had too much honour to break the rules despite their underlying attraction. He had a feeling that honour was about to be tested. There was no doubt in his mind that the traumatic hours of being alone together fighting for survival had strengthened and deepened their bond. He could guess at the effect it would have on their relationship given their attraction.

Sam stirred and his dark eyes flickered over her as her blue eyes opened lethargically.

'Captain Carter.'

Teal'c's gentle voice drew Sam's attention and she forced a smile at the unusual openly worried expression on the Jaffa's face.

'Teal'c.' Her throat seemed scratchy and raw. Why had she woken up? She couldn't remember. There was a nagging sensation in her mind as though there was something important she should remember. She took a deep breath and gratefully drunk some of the water Teal'c handed to her. She leaned weakly back against the pillows. 'The Colonel?'

Teal'c replaced the glass on the bedside table and sat back down before answering her. 'Daniel Jackson has informed me that Colonel O'Neill regained consciousness for a short time earlier.'

'Good. That's good.' Sam murmured sleepily.

Teal'c frowned. Her condition worried him. Her face was too pale; the harsh scrape on her cheek standing out in stark comparison. There were beads of sweat dotting her forehead and upper lip. Her drugged blue eyes seemed large and unfocused as they looked back at him.

A sound by the doorway had Teal'c rising from his feet ready to protect her from unnecessary interruption. He barely adjusted his stance at the sight of a harried looking General Hammond. The older man was dressed in fatigues. His round face was reddened as though he had come in from the cold and the wind, and there were shadows under his eyes that spoke of sleepless nights.

'General.' Sam acknowledged his presence and struggled to sit up.

'As you were, Captain.' Hammond made his way over to the bed and pulled up a chair.

'Have you heard about the Colonel, sir?' Sam asked, hoping for more news.

'I have.' Hammond assured her. 'He's doing very well. I'm on my way there next.' He cleared his throat. 'I've spoken with Jake.'

Sam's brow creased in unhappiness at the mention of her father.

'He was informed automatically when you went MIA.' Hammond said quietly. 'I called him the minute we knew you were located.' He paused. 'I've talked him out of coming for the time being.' He had managed to assure his old friend Jacob Carter that Sam was fine and a couple of strategic comments around Sam not wanting to pull her father away from his duties nor having any favouritism shown by the fact her father could talk his way into a visit to McMurdo where other soldiers' families could not had been enough to sway Jacob from his original plan to be on the next transport out.

'Thank you.' Sam said gratefully. She didn't think she could handle her father or the questions he was bound to ask about why she had ended up in Antarctica when she was supposed to be safely in Cheyenne Mountain analysing deep space radar telemetry.

Antarctica.

She still couldn't believe the explanation Teal'c and Daniel had given her when they had arrived at McMurdo. Another Stargate on Earth. Why hadn't she thought of that? How had she missed the possibility? She should have realised when the wormhole wouldn't engage after she had fixed the DHD or at the very least she should have tried alternative addresses…

'Sam.'

The General's gentle use of her name pulled her out of her inner musings.

'Sorry, sir.' Sam said.

'Do you feel up to telling me what happened?' Hammond asked.

'Perhaps now is not a good time, General Hammond.' Teal'c protested quietly.

'It's OK, Teal'c.' Sam reassured him.

He subsided unhappily.

Hammond's pale blue eyes swept over her and he frowned. He glanced over at Teal'c who looked back at him with the same worry in his dark eyes. 'Maybe Teal'c has a point, Captain. I'll let you get some rest.'

'It's fine, sir.' Sam insisted. 'I would prefer to get this over with.'

Hammond nodded reluctantly.

She rubbed her nose and wondered where to begin. 'The Colonel and I were providing cover fire for Daniel and Teal'c on P4A771. As soon as they went through the wormhole, the Colonel ordered me to follow; he was right behind me.' She swallowed hard. 'I don't remember being reintegrated; I think we hit the ground pretty hard.'

'Both Teal'c and Doctor Jackson were expelled very violently from the wormhole in the SGC.' Hammond commented encouragingly.

'I think I was unconscious for a few minutes before I came to.' Sam continued. 'I immediately tried to contact Daniel and Teal'c by radio but received no reply. I realised the Colonel required medical attention so I evaluated his injuries and made him as comfortable as I could before I made a search of the immediate area for Daniel and Teal'c.'

She stopped again to catch her breath and deal with the memory of how alone she had felt during the search; how helpless when she couldn't find her team-mates. 'I was unable to locate either of them so I took an inventory of our supplies and started to search for the DHD. I was in the middle of the search when the Colonel regained consciousness.'

She had never been so relieved about anything, Sam considered thoughtfully. Even her relief at the Colonel's miraculous healing in the sarcophagus after he had been turned into a Jaffa by Hathor had paled into comparison to that she had felt on hearing the Colonel's voice in the cavern.

'Captain?' Hammond prompted her again.

'Sorry, sir.' Sam replied.

'Don't worry.' Hammond had to remind himself not to reach out for her hand. 'Just take your time, Captain.'

'With the Colonel conscious I was able to splint his leg and we began the search for the DHD again. We managed to find it and began digging it out.' Her fingers plucked at the sheets on her bed unconsciously. 'It was then I became aware that the Colonel had broken a rib, maybe more.' She should have checked him more thoroughly, Sam chastised herself. Her throat felt dry and she asked for some water which she drank gratefully before she continued.

'Once the DHD was mostly uncovered we were able to try dialling out.' Sam frowned. 'There was some kind of disconnection between the DHD and the gate due to the way the DHD had drifted with the glacier. The Colonel ordered us to rest. I slept for a few hours.' She stopped again trying to keep the order of events straight in her own mind. 'The Colonel was unconscious when I awoke. I assessed that he probably had an internal injury and made him comfortable before I continued digging to get to the control panel. He regained consciousness and I continued to work on fixing the DHD. I thought I got it to work but the wormhole wouldn't engage. I never thought about trying a different address to Earth.'

'There was no way you could have known you were on Earth, Captain.' Hammond said comfortingly. 'And it was your attempt to dial home that gave Doctor Jackson the idea of a second gate.'

'The Colonel was in bad shape.' Sam continued as though the General hadn't spoken her eyes fixed to some vague point on the ceiling. 'He ordered me to take the supplies and climb out. I hoped that when I reached the surface I would be able to find help. We maintained radio contact for a while…' Her throat closed up as she remembered his last radio call to her. _It was an honour serving with you._ 'When I reached the surface I realised walking any distance would be futile; I would collapse before I reached any civilisation given the weather conditions. I believed the best course of action was to return to the Colonel.'

She fell silent as she contemplated the last few minutes of consciousness; she had cuddled back up to the Colonel for body warmth and he had called her Sara, the name of his wife. He must still be very much in love with her, Sam thought tiredly as she remembered his story of how the thought of Sara had helped him get out of Iraq complete with skull fractures after a mission had gone badly wrong. For some reason, the thought sent a shockwave of resentment at the other woman through her and she stirred uncomfortably at her churning emotions.

'The Colonel was great even though he was injured, sir. He just encouraged me all the time and wouldn't let me think we wouldn't get home.' The sudden press of tears caught her off-guard and it took a moment for her to recover. 'I can't believe he's OK.' She admitted. 'His injuries…'

'Well, according to the doctors, Colonel O'Neill's doing just fine.' Hammond smiled at Sam reassuringly. 'Thanks to you.'

'I didn't save us.' Sam said, perplexed at his assertion.

'Your actions kept the Colonel's condition stable and enabled us to find you, Captain.' Hammond said forcefully. 'You did a good job.' He could only imagine the stress of her ordeal and from her own account she'd had to face much of it alone.

'No.' Sam refused the praise and shook her head fitfully. 'I didn't save us.'

Hammond frowned and exchanged another anxious look with Teal'c across the bed. The General rose from the chair and, in a move practised by parents the world over, tested her temperature by placing his hand over her forehead. His pale blue eyes widened sharply and shot to Teal'c. 'She's burning up. Get a doctor.'

Teal'c didn't waste time; he strode from the room.

Sam pushed weakly at the covers. 'I don't feel well.' She complained.

'I know, Sam.' Hammond said quietly; that she had admitted it was sign enough for him that she was seriously unwell. 'We're going to fix that.'

He was relieved when the doctor, a young woman who reminded suspiciously of Doctor Frasier and who he seemed to recall was called Doctor Wright, charged in with a couple of nurses. He stepped back out of the way and absently noted Teal'c joining him as they watched the doctor check Sam over and start snapping out a series of orders in a way that reassured Hammond Sam was getting the treatment she needed. He was pleased when the doctor came over to speak with him.

'How is she?' Hammond asked anxiously.

'She's developed a secondary infection.' Doctor Wright folded her arms across her chest and met the General's unhappy face head on although she couldn't help her eyes from drifting to the large dark-skinned man beside him. 'Her immune system is pretty shot right now. We've started her on antibiotics and we're monitoring her condition.' She smiled reassuringly. 'We're doing all we can.'

'Thank you, Doctor.' The General wandered back to Sam noting the oxygen mask they had attached and that they must have given her something to make her sleep. He sat down heavily.

Teal'c resumed his position on the opposite side of the bed.

Hammond looked over at him. 'If you want to get some rest, Teal'c, I'll sit with her for a while.'

'I am fine, General Hammond.' Teal'c said firmly. His dark gaze rested on his team-mate. Her story had only increased his admiration for her. What she had left unspoken – the hours of working tirelessly on her own to save herself and Colonel O'Neill, the fear of never getting home, the disappointment that must have swamped her after her arduous climb to the surface – his mind had supplied. He was amazed at her strength; he did not know many others who would have faced the challenges she had and performed as well as she had done. He renewed his determination to watch over her.

o-O-o

Daniel wasn't looking forward to Jack waking up again. The injured Colonel had stirred another couple of times in the twenty-fours since he had regained consciousness after his surgery. Each time, his first question was always about Sam. If the situation wasn't as serious as it was, Daniel might have been amused, but it was serious and Daniel was worried.

He had initially simply confirmed Sam was fine and down the hall like he had done during their earlier conversation. It hadn't exactly been a lie; he hadn't known anything different. But the last time Jack had asked, Daniel had just learned of Sam's deterioration. He had hesitated, torn between telling Jack the truth and leaving him in blissful ignorance so he could heal without worrying about her. Jack's immediate agitation at Daniel's lack of response had driven any indecision out of his mind; Daniel had lied through his teeth. When Jack woke again…Daniel had no idea what he was going to say to him.

He swallowed the coffee the nurse had brought him. How the hell was he going to tell Jack that Sam wasn't fine? That she was running a dangerously high temperature and was having trouble breathing? That they thought she'd developed pneumonia. Daniel swiped a hand under his glasses and brushed at the moisture that had seeped unwilling out of his eyes.

He was so tired. His body hummed with exhaustion. He envied Teal'c's Jaffa physiology that allowed him to go for hours without sleep. He had convinced a reluctant Teal'c to swap with him for a couple of hours and Daniel had spent the whole time with Sam watching the laboured fall and rise of her chest and feeling helpless. He should have realised the possibility of a second gate sooner, he berated himself harshly. If they hadn't spent so much time fruitlessly searching other planets, they could have found them quicker; Sam might have been OK. He shoved a hand through his brown hair and took another gulp of coffee.

A slight movement in the bed alerted him that he had run out of time on determining how to tell Jack; the older man was awake again. Daniel hastily put his coffee down and moved to get Jack a drink hoping to forestall the usual question for just a moment longer.

Jack sucked up the water thirstily. He was feeling a lot sharper than before, he realised. The fog in his head had mostly dissipated and he could remember events with greater clarity than before. As he continued to drink, his brown eyes ran over Daniel. The archaeologist had passed crap and looked as though he was heading for a collapse. There was unnatural pallor to him; his blue eyes seemed puffy and red-rimmed and he avoided looking at him directly like something had happened…

Sam.

The thought struck him like a blow to the gut. He remembered how Daniel had hesitated when Jack had asked after her the last time he had stirred. Jack stopped drinking and stared at Daniel with trepidation. His throat closed up on the question.

'So you're awake again.' Higgins strode into the room with a natural arrogance most doctors seemed to have ingrained.

Maybe they taught it at medical school, Jack thought derisively. He suffered through the doctor's examination with barely concealed impatience.

'You're doing very well.' Higgins said, noting the latest information on the medical chart.

'Great.' Jack muttered.

'Much better than your colleague.' Higgins said offhandedly.

Jack froze; he barely noticed Daniel's frantic, darting look of horror at the doctor.

'She's developed a severe case of pneumonia.' Higgins didn't look up from his notes and didn't register the dangerous quality that entered Jack's demeanour.

'How bad?' Jack asked as his brown eyes flickered to Daniel accusingly who ducked his head and refused to look at him.

'Quite bad. It's probably a result of her over-exertion during her exposure. If she hadn't tried to be the hero and attempted that climb out, her body wouldn't have been so exhausted.' Higgins commented.

Jack felt the breath leave his body unaware his face showed his shock; he'd ordered her to make the climb…

'She's had some trouble breathing and is on a respirator.' Higgins continued. 'Her temperature is spiking quite high and obviously we're a little concerned about her heart.'

'Her heart?' Daniel rose from his chair.

Jack's fleeting glance registered the surprise and worry on the younger man's face. Obviously the heart thing was news to him too.

'Hmmm.' Higgins said without looking at Daniel as he continued to make notes. 'Any rapid change in temperature to the core of the human body puts an increased strain on organs such as the heart.'

'But she's going to be OK?' Daniel pressed.

'We can't possibly say at this point.' Higgins said looking up to find both men staring at him fiercely. He replaced the clipboard and took a cautious step back.

'I want to be transferred to where she is.' Jack said impatiently.

Higgins looked at him aghast. 'You're in post-operative care, Colonel.'

'I feel fine.' Jack said, ignoring the pain that radiated across his chest and the dull ache in his leg from the break.

'I'm sorry, Colonel, but even if I was prepared to move you so soon after surgery, I couldn't allow you to be exposed to the risk of infection that Captain Carter's condition presents.'

'I'll take the risk.' Jack insisted.

'I'm not prepared to allow it.' Higgins said firmly, his back ramrod straight and his grey eyes meeting Jack's stubbornly.

Jack suddenly lashed out sending the few objects on the bedside table next to him flying. They clattered to the floor by Daniel who jumped back in shock.

'I said transfer me, dammit!' Jack yelled.

Higgins took a stumbling step back before he stopped and straightened again. 'Colonel, any further outbursts and I'll have you restrained and sedated for your own good. Do you understand me?' Before Jack could retort, the doctor had whirled around and left.

'Dammit!' Jack thumped the bed.

Daniel placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Jack.'

Jack looked up at him angrily, brown eyes meeting blue and Daniel sighed. 'I'll go talk to him.' He patted the other man's shoulder gently before hurrying out after Higgins.

The doctor was already a fair distance along the corridor and Daniel had to yell to catch his attention.

Higgins stopped and turned round. 'Yes?'

'Isn't there anyway for Jack to be placed in the same room as Sam?' Daniel asked, coming to a stop in front of him. 'I mean both of them have been asking about the other and I think their anxiety can't be helping. Surely it would be better for their recovery if they were allowed to see one another?' He gestured passionately at Higgins who sighed.

'I'm sorry but my concern is for the Colonel and I don't believe putting him in the same room as a severely ill patient is the best thing for him right now.' Higgins put his hands in the pockets of his white coat. 'He's doing remarkably well given everything but his body has been through a tremendous ordeal and he needs time to heal.'

'I just think Jack would heal better if he could see Sam was doing better.' Daniel insisted.

'And if she doesn't do better?' Higgins asked bluntly.

Daniel blanched and staggered back a little.

'I'm sorry,' Higgins said a little more gently, 'but my decision stands.' He walked away.

Daniel stared after him for a moment before whirling around and hitting the wall. He thrust his hands through his hair. He had to tell Jack. He made his way back into the room.

Jack knew the answer as soon as he saw Daniel's face. 'He didn't go for it, did he?'

'No.' Daniel admitted.

'Get Teal'c.' Jack ordered, starting to unhook himself from the various machines he was tied up to.

'Jack…' Daniel began doubtfully.

'Get Teal'c and find me some clothes, Daniel.' Jack said roughly.

'Maybe the doctor had a point, Jack.' Daniel said quietly.

Jack stopped and glared at the younger man.

'You were only in surgery less than forty-eight hours ago.' Daniel said. 'You have to be in a lot of pain and I think…'

'Daniel.' Jack's voice whipped across the room and his hard brown stare pinned the archaeologist's blue eyes. 'I am going to see Carter if I have to crawl there on my hands and knees. Now are you going to help me or not?'

Daniel sighed and threw up his hands. 'Fine. I'll get Teal'c.'

'And clothes, Daniel. Don't forget the clothes.' Jack watched him leave the room before he collapsed back on the pillows; the examination and the arguments had taken their toll on his meagre stores of physical strength.

He slapped both hands over his face. God. It wasn't bad enough that he'd been totally useless the whole time they'd been trapped but he'd ordered her to make that stupid, senseless climb. If her condition was his fault…he couldn't bear to think about it. Sam would get better. She would. Even if he had to order her to do it. She had to.

o-O-o

Jack sat in the wheelchair and stared at the prone figure in the bed next to him. Sam looked peaceful. Her face was mostly covered by the mask and apparatus that kept her breathing; her skin a stark white against the equally white linen on which she rested. Her startling blue eyes were closed and hidden from view. Her blonde hair was mussed around her face like a halo. What had Daniel told him that Tollan guy had called her? An angel. He'd been right. She looked angelic. He wished fervently that she would wake up and dispel the image.

He conjured up the image of her telling him her theories on what had happened to the wormhole. He hadn't really been listening but the sound of her voice had been soothing; infused with the animated excitement she always had when she figured something out. He could listen to that all day even if he didn't understand a word of it. Right then he would have paid good money just to hear her utter one word.

His chest ached; he was attached to his IV drip and the painkiller was dulling the worst of it but the pain more than just physical and his hand rubbed against it without conscious thought. It had been a struggle getting into the sweats Daniel and Teal'c had found for him – they'd had to figure out a way to get the pants over the cast. Daniel had found scissors and it had all gotten very ugly. It had been less of a struggle getting from the bed to the chair; Teal'c had simply picked him up.

It had been at that point that Higgins had walked back in. A furious argument had ensued and it had only ended when Teal'c glowered at the doctor and told him to leave them. Luckily, Doctor Wright seemed more inclined to view Jack's presence in Sam's room as a good thing and it had been her who had ensured his IV had been replaced and his medication administered.

Jack could inwardly admit getting out of his bed hadn't been one of his better plans; he was deathly tired, his body hurt in places he didn't want to think about and he was pretty certain he'd jarred his ribs again. But he had ended up where he had wanted to be – in viewing distance, hell, in touching distance of Carter. Not that there was any touching going on even though his hand itched to reach out and take hers.

Senior officer, he reminded himself for the umpteenth time since he had been wheeled into position. He was her CO. He wasn't supposed to want to hold her hand. Or beg her to wake up. He kept trying to tell himself it was a reaction to the situation; their dependence on each other for survival, for human comfort, during their ordeal. He could remember her constant drive to fix the DHD, the determination on her face as she talked to him and the feel of her snuggled up against him under the blankets. He shifted a little uncomfortably in his chair.

'You OK?' Daniel asked worriedly seeing Jack's movement.

'Fine.' Jack said dismissively. He took his eyes off Sam for a moment to glance over at Daniel. The archaeologist was sat in a chair pushed right up to the edge of the bed on the other side. He was clinging to one of Sam's hand and Jack felt a wave of irrational jealousy that Daniel got to touch her and he couldn't. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

'Perhaps you should return to your bed, O'Neill.' Teal'c's voice rumbled beside him. He had gone along with the Colonel's wishes but Jack knew the Jaffa didn't believe that the action of getting out of bed had been wise.

'I'm fine.' Jack said crossly. His eyes returned to Sam. As much as he loved Teal'c and Daniel; as much as he appreciated everything they had done both before and after finding them and as much as he knew they needed to be with Sam too, he wished they were somewhere else. Their presence meant that he didn't have the same freedom that he would have to touch Sam if they were alone.

He frowned.

What the hell was he thinking? Daniel and Teal'c were hardly likely to report him for simply holding Sam's hand. He started to reach forward…

Hammond entered the room.

Jack snatched his hand back and tried to look innocent.

The General surveyed SG1 with a dispassionate eye. They all looked terrible. He focused on Daniel who looked as though he could fall asleep on his feet.

'Doctor Jackson, the McMurdo team have organised temporary quarters for you down the hall. The nurse will show you the way.' Hammond said.

'Thank you, General,' Daniel said blinking at him, 'but I'd rather stay with Sam.'

'I know you would, son,' Hammond replied sympathetically, 'but it wasn't a suggestion; it was an order.'

'Oh.' Daniel looked to Jack for support.

Jack took one look at the General and sighed. He jerked his head at the door. 'Go and get some rest, Daniel. I'll stay with her.'

'But…' Daniel protested weakly.

'You won't do Captain Carter much good if you collapse and if we have to waste energy looking after you too.' Hammond said firmly. 'I'll make sure you're notified if there's any change.'

Daniel rose to his feet unsteadily.

Hammond turned to Teal'c. 'Perhaps you can see Doctor Jackson to his quarters, Teal'c.'

Teal'c bowed his head in agreement.

'And perhaps you should also remain there and take a rest period yourself, Teal'c.'

'I do not require…' Teal'c began.

'Yes, you do.' Hammond stated authoratively.

Teal'c seemed to consider his options for a long moment. 'I will rest.'

'Thank you, Teal'c.' Hammond waited until Teal'c and Daniel had left the room – the Jaffa visibly supporting the weaving archaeologist – before he drew up a chair next to Jack and sat down. 'How're you doing, Jack?'

'I've been better.' Jack replied succinctly.

Hammond gave a huff of agreement. 'Doctor Higgins…'

'I couldn't give a rat's…'

'Colonel.' Hammond said warningly.

'Sorry.' Jack reined himself back in. 'You were saying, sir?'

'I was saying Doctor Higgins reported you for gross insubordination.' Hammond waited a moment. 'And I told him I couldn't give a rat's ass.'

Jack's lips lifted briefly in a semblance of a smile.

'Your bed is being transferred here.' Hammond said. 'I expect when it's ready, you will stay in it.'

The order was implicit in the General's tone and Jack nodded. Hammond had obviously gone to bat for him and his team. 'I could use a bed.' He said diplomatically.

Hammond acknowledged Jack's capitulation with a nod. He indicated the Air Force officer in front of them. 'How is she?'

'No change.' Jack felt his throat close up on the words.

Hammond sighed deeply. 'I'm wondering whether I should call her father. He wanted to come out earlier and I convinced him not to but that was before she…' his voice dropped away.

'I'd leave it another twenty-four hours.' Jack advised. He knew the General had a personal relationship with the Carter family; seeing Sam so ill had to hard on Hammond. 'Carter's a tough cookie. She'll come through this.'

'That's good advice, Jack.'

Jack looked away from him, back towards Sam. 'Maybe I just don't want my ass kicked by two Major Generals.'

'I wasn't aware I was kicking your…uh…ass.' Hammond pointed out.

'I deserve a little ass-kicking.' Jack said. 'It's my fault.'

'This is not your fault, Jack.' Hammond said forcefully.

'Isn't it?' Jack gestured at the bed. 'Higgins told me the infection was likely brought on by her overexerting herself by climbing to the top of the fissure. I ordered her to do that.'

Hammond frowned. 'Well, it seems to me Higgins is talking a lot of bull. Sam might have gotten just as sick if she'd remained constantly in the chamber with you. We'll never know.'

'No.' Jack repeated. 'We'll never know.'

Hammond let it drop. He knew there was nothing he could say that would stop Jack from blaming himself.

'Sam was…she was outstanding the whole time, General.' Jack said softly. He shook his head. 'I was out of it most of the time but she never stopped working to get us home.'

'She's a good officer.' Hammond replied proudly.

'Yes.' Jack's brown eyes were fixed to Sam's face. 'She is.'

Hammond looked over at him. He frowned in confusion at the mix of emotions playing across the Colonel's face. SG1 were a close-knit team but he feared the relationship between the Colonel and the Captain was already coming close to skirting the boundaries allowed by the military regulations. He shook away the thought and refused to dwell on it. There was no evidence the relationship between the two had become inappropriate. They sat together for a while simply watching Sam before Hammond sighed heavily.

'Sir?' Jack asked questioningly.

'I hate this.' Hammond admitted.

Jack raised a questioning eyebrow.

'The waiting.' Hammond explained. 'It reminds me of when my wife was sick.'

'Was sick, sir?' Jack asked delicately.

'She died four years ago.' Hammond said. 'Cancer.' The pain of losing her was evident in his voice.

Jack winced and wished he hadn't asked the question. 'I'm sorry to hear that, sir.'

'There's no need to be sorry, Colonel. We had a good life together.' Hammond found himself confiding. 'A beautiful daughter. Two lovely grand-kids.'

'Grand-kids?' Jack was surprised into looking at Hammond. The General was a grandfather?

'Two grand-daughters, Kayla and Tessa.' Hammond said. 'I have photos.' He patted the top pocket of his uniform. 'Don't make me show you.'

Jack smiled, his attention returning to Sam.

'You know off-duty you can call me George.' Hammond said impulsively.

'I don't think I can.' Jack answered. He caught Hammond's perplexed look. 'I'll try calling you George but I'm fairly sure General will come out instead. Besides, if I get mixed up and call you George in the gate room, what would that do for base discipline?'

Hammond laughed. He was about to reply when a bed was pushed through the door by two orderlies.

Jack sighed. He had to admit the bed was looking good to him.

'I think this is my signal to leave.' Hammond rose from his chair. 'Get some rest, Colonel.'

'Yes, sir.' Jack replied absently as the General left the room. The two orderlies turned to Jack and he sighed. 'Could you give me a minute here?'

The orderlies looked at each other and the senior man gave a shrug. 'Press the call button. We'll be waiting at the nurse's station, sir.'

'Thanks.' Jack said. He inched forward and picked up Sam's limp hand. 'I'm not good at this stuff, Sam, so I'm just going to say this once.' He stopped; what did he want to say? Did he have the words to say it? He took a deep breath. 'You never gave up back there and…I don't want you giving up now.' He struggled against what he wanted to say with what he was allowed to say. 'I need you to get better here, Sam.' His callused thumb rubbed over her knuckles. 'That's an order, Carter.' He added gently.

She stirred and he watched as her blue eyes opened to snag his and hold them. His breath caught in his throat. Her fingers rubbed infinitesimally against his as her eyes closed again slowly.

Jack let out a shaky breath. He gave her hand a final squeeze and reached for the call button.

o-O-o

The laughter coming from the recovery room could be heard at the other end of the corridor as Hammond turned the corner with the SGC CMO Janet Fraiser. His thin eyebrows rose slightly and he stopped listening to the doctor's report on the reason why he needed to sign a requisition form for some piece of medical equipment that apparently was urgently needed.

'Sir?' Janet asked a little impatiently realising that she had lost his attention.

Hammond turned to the petite brunette and smiled apologetically. 'Is there usually this much noise?' He wondered out loud as they came to a halt a safe distance away from the babble.

'Only since Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter arrived back yesterday, sir.' Janet said wryly. The infirmary had been overrun with well-wishers when the two officers had finally been transferred back to the SGC more than a week after their rescue in Antarctica. She had come back from her own leave of absence early to oversee their arrival. It was good to have them back, Janet mused, even if a small part of her didn't appreciate the chaos that it had brought to her infirmary.

'How are they doing?' Hammond asked.

'Colonel O'Neill is making excellent progress, sir.' Janet said. 'His ribs and broken leg are mending well.'

'Excellent.' Hammond said. 'And Captain Carter?'

'She's clear of the infection, sir, but it will take a while for her to recover her strength.' Janet said crisply. 'Both of them seem to be in good spirits though which is assisting their recovery.'

'Yes, I can hear that.' Hammond murmured. 'You've placed them together in the same recovery room?'

Janet nodded. 'I spoke with Doctor Wright, General, and I concur with her that their recovery is being assisted by being in close proximity to each other.'

'I see.'

Janet picked up on the concern in his voice and smiled. 'It's a normal reaction to this kind of trauma, sir. For a significant amount of time they were reliant on only each other and that has created an unnatural dependence which both of them are still experiencing. I expect over time, as they get stronger and recover, they'll lose that dependence.'

Hammond nodded. 'Thank you, Doctor.' He gestured back up the corridor. 'Don't forget to send me that requisition order.'

'No, sir.' Janet watched Hammond stride away before she walked on to the recovery room. She schooled her features before entering.

All of SG1 were attendance; Teal'c was stood by Sam's side examining the picture Janet's soon-to-be-adopted daughter, Cassie, had drawn of him, Daniel was standing looking at the same picture over the Jaffa's shoulder. Janet had seen the picture. Cassie had drawn it as a thank you to Teal'c for saving her on the planet Hanka.

'It's definitely you, Teal'c.' Daniel said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

'I am honoured.' Teal'c bowed to the small thin girl perched on Sam's bed.

Janet scanned the other occupants of the room as Cassie grabbed the picture and ran round to Colonel O'Neill's bed at his demand to be shown the artwork. The Colonel's colour was good but she could tell his pain medication was wearing off at the way he grimaced as Cassie climbed on his bed. Sam was beaming at the sight of Jack with Cassie but Janet could see she was tired; not that the Captain would ever admit it.

The doctor cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. The chatter in the room ceased immediately. She smiled at Cassie. 'I think it's time the Colonel and the Captain have a rest.'

'But…' Cassie protested loudly.

Jack thought about protesting himself but a quick glance over at Sam had him reconsidering.

'No buts, young lady.' Janet said sternly although her brown eyes twinkled. 'Come on, I'll get your paints set up in my office.'

'Well, if you want Teal'c and I could look after her.' Daniel offered hesitantly. He gestured at Cassie. 'How about a game of Jackals and Hounds?'

'Can I?' Cassie said pleadingly to Janet. 'Please?'

'Are you sure you…?' Janet began.

'Absolutely sure.' Daniel hurried to reassure her. He poked Teal'c's ribs. 'Aren't we?'

Teal'c shot Daniel a dirty look for the poke but inclined his head toward Janet. 'We would be pleased to offer our assistance, Doctor Fraiser.'

Janet shrugged. 'Well, OK, then.'

Jack gave Cassie a quick squeeze. 'Go on, kiddo. We'll catch up later.'

Cassie rolled her eyes but turned and gave Jack a hug before she slid off the bed. She didn't notice the wince and the way the Colonel rubbed his chest as she headed over to Sam although Janet did.

The Captain leaned down to cuddle the young girl. 'We'll see you later.' Sam promised.

Cassie nodded and skipped over to take Daniel's hand.

Janet ushered the guests out of the recovery room and smiled at her patients. 'Get some rest.'

'Yes, ma'am.' Jack muttered as the door closed on the doctor.

Sam giggled.

Jack looked over at her and wagged his finger. 'What did I say about giggling?'

Sam smiled at him and he smiled back. She had to force herself to break the eye contact and looked around desperately for something to distract her. Her hand landed on the homemade get well card Cassie had made for her. She picked it up and reread it before she placed it on a crowded bedside table already overflowing with cards, balloons and flowers.

She recognised on one level that her relationship with the Colonel was in an odd place; their shared experience had bonded them in a way nobody else including Daniel and Teal'c could understand. She knew that the separation anxiety they felt when out of sight of the other was part of that and she knew it would disappear in time. But she couldn't deny she was enjoying the new level of closeness between them.

It had always seemed to her that there had been a distance between her and the Colonel that didn't exist between him and the other members of their team. At first she had put it down to it being a guy thing but she had ultimately recognised that it was due to the nature of their working relationship, their military ranks; Jack was her CO. While he was more laid back about protocol than most of the other senior officers she had worked with, he had consciously or unconsciously invoked a professional distance between them for the most part especially after they had both suffered from the Neanderthal virus. She had accepted it gratefully in many respects; there were enough challenges for a female officer as it was without unnecessary gossip arising. But if she was honest it had also grated on her that she was the only one in the team with whom he maintained that kind of professional distance and she had enjoyed the few times that distance had slipped away, like the time he had hugged her after they had realised Daniel was still alive. But, since Antarctica, there was no distance…it was completely gone.

And she liked it.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

She began to nervously rearrange the cards on her bedside table unaware that Jack was watching her with amusement. The problem was she liked the lack of distance too much, she mused. She sighed, her hand poised over one card. She had never denied that she found Jack attractive; God what wasn't to like? He was tall, cute, had gorgeous brown eyes and a great physique that men half his age would kill for. And she liked him as a person. She continued to straighten her cards. He was smart, a lot smarter than he let on, and he had a great personality; sure he could be brusque, dismissive even intolerant but on the flip side he could also be funny, charming and quite frankly, adorable. Her hand stilled. She had just used the word adorable in relation to her CO. Oh boy. This was so not good. Maybe she wasn't really falling for him, she thought desperately; maybe it was just a crush.

She'd get over it, she determined, she had to get over it, he was her CO. She bit her lip and continued with her card ordering. If she didn't get over it then she would lose her place on SG1 and she couldn't contemplate that; she loved being part of the team and their mission was important; too important for her feelings to get in the way of achieving the mission objective.

'Are you ordering by recipient or by the pictures on the front?' Jack asked half-seriously.

'Alphabetically by the pictures on the front.' Sam responded absently, her thoughts still racing. She suddenly realised what she had said and blushed furiously turning to look at his amused face with chagrin. 'Sorry, I was thinking.'

'So I gathered.' Jack said, gesturing at her cards. 'What about?'

Sam knew there was nothing on Earth that was going to get her to admit the truth. 'Just…stuff.'

'Stuff, huh?' Jack nodded sagely. 'Well, stuff is important.' It was only the glint in his eyes that gave away he was teasing her.

Sam rolled her eyes at him and sank back onto her pillows. 'I was thinking about Antarctica.' She settled on telling him a half-truth.

Jack had been wondering when she would raise their time alone together. The first few days she had been completely out of it and while she'd been staying awake for longer and longer periods over the last couple of days, he had kept their conversations light for the most part. He altered his position so he could look at her fully and noticed she did the same mirroring him. 'So what about Antarctica?'

'Everything, I guess.' Sam said vaguely, regretting her choice of topic as a cover. She wasn't sure she was ready to discuss what had happened.

'You know you did great, Sam.' Jack said softly.

'I couldn't save us.' The words came rushing out before she could stop them and she silently berated herself for the admission even as she avoided looking at him.

'Sam, look at me.'

There was enough of an order in the tone for her to automatically comply.

Jack held her questioning blue eyes with his. 'You had absolutely no way of knowing that there was another Stargate on Earth. Daniel only worked it out because your attempt to dial home alerted him to the possibility.'

'I just…' Sam gestured weakly at him, 'feel like I should have known; that I should have worked it out myself.'

'Why?' Jack asked seriously. 'There's never been any evidence of another Stargate on Earth or of multiple gates on other planets we've visited. It impressed the hell out of me that you could even work out the whole wormhole jumping thing.'

Sam's lips lifted briefly but she didn't look convinced.

Jack sighed. 'At least you tried something to save us. All I could do was lie on the ground and watch you.' He blinked a little at his own confession. The remembered frustration, mixed with his own ever-present guilt at how he had left her to do all the work, gave the words a rawness that made him uncomfortable.

Sam frowned at him. 'You were injured.'

'Your point?' Jack asked wryly.

'You kept me focused.' Sam said softly. 'You may have noticed I have this tendency to think too much.'

'Nope. Never noticed.' Jack quipped, his eyes flickering momentarily back to her cards.

She smiled at him seeing the direction of his gaze.

Jack hastily cleared his throat. 'I tell you what. Why don't we both agree we did the best we could?'

'OK.' Sam agreed. If it made him feel better about what had happened she was happy to acquiesce.

'Good.' Jack was pleased. Hopefully, he mused, Sam could move on and find some peace about what had happened. He looked about for another subject and his gaze drifted back to the cards. 'Guess the big one's from your Dad.'

Sam nodded.

'A General, huh? Was your decision to join up a family thing?' Jack asked curious.

'A little.' Sam admitted, tucking her arm under her pillow to get more comfortable as she shifted onto her side to look at him. 'But mostly because I wanted to be an astronaut.' She paused. 'What about you?' She asked impulsively, taking advantage of his openness.

Jack adjusted his own position to follow her example. 'Family thing.' He admitted. 'Fourth generation.'

'Wow.'

He shrugged as much as he could in the prone position. 'Your Dad going to come visit you?'

Sam shook her head. 'He doesn't have clearance for the SGC.'

'So your Dad thinks you're…'

'Analysing deep space radar telemetry.' Sam supplied.

'Ah!' Jack frowned. He had a feeling from her expression that their cover story hadn't impressed her Dad much. 'Sometimes it sucks doesn't it?'

Sam looked at him quizzically.

'Not being able to tell the world you travel to other planets every day and fight alien bad guys.' Jack expanded.

She smiled at the cartoon hero image he had conjured up with his description. 'Yeah, sometimes it sucks.'

'So why alphabetically by the picture and not by size?' Jack asked changing the subject to something lighter.

It took her a moment to realise he was asking about her organisation strategy for the cards. 'I only have three different pictures,' she said a little self-consciously, 'so they kind of gave me the categories and…' she stopped as he started grinning. Her eyes darted briefly to his bedside table which was as equally crowded with cards as her own and careened to a stop. Her gaze narrowed suspiciously. 'You order them by size.' She said accusingly.

'I do not.' Jack denied heatedly.

'You do too.' Sam retorted.

'At least I'm not organising them alphabetically.' Jack grumbled a little embarrassed he'd been discovered. 'How did you…?'

'The large one is at the back. They go in descending size to the front and you placed Cassie's in the correct position rather than randomly.' Sam reeled off.

'I'll have to watch that in the future.' Jack muttered.

Sam's eyes drifted over the stack of cards and settled on one in the middle with a picture of a cartoon dog on the front. 'Who sent you the dog card?' She asked idly.

Jack glanced at it. 'Sara.'

His wife, Sam thought with a bite of jealousy. It was evident to her that her CO was holding a torch for the woman even though as far as she knew they had been separated for a long time. She pushed the feeling away. She had no right to feel jealous, she reminded herself. Whatever had happened between herself and Jack in Antarctica, he was still her CO and off-limits. She felt the dull throb of disappointment and determinedly decided to move past it. She cleared her throat. 'It was nice of your wife to send a get-well card.'

'Ex-wife, Carter.' Jack replied, looking back at Sam.

Sam found her mouth opening to say something and she hastily snapped it shut. Unfortunately Jack noticed and frowned at her.

'What?'

'Nothing.' Sam said.

'Just spit it out, Carter.' Jack encouraged firmly.

'Well, it's just…' Sam began a little hesitantly and her fingers rubbed anxiously at her bed sheet, 'when I came back from the climb you called me Sara.'

Jack's eyes widened in surprise. 'I did?'

She nodded.

Jack frowned as he stared at the floor. He couldn't remember her returning from the climb and the last thing he did remember was telling Sam it had been an honour serving with her. 'I was obviously delusional.' He muttered.

Sam visibly flinched despite her efforts not to feel hurt by the comment. Of course Jack would conclude he was delusional, she thought unhappily; it was evident that she couldn't compare to Sara, and Jack was probably wondering how on Earth he could have mixed the two of them up…she hoped fervently that she would get over her crush as fast as she had fallen into it.

Jack missed her reaction, his gaze and his thoughts elsewhere. His own mind churned uneasily over the news that he had called her Sara. 'I wasn't even thinking about Sara.' His eyes widened as he realised he said the words out loud. They flickered back to Sam nervously.

'You weren't?' Sam blurted out the question before she could stop herself.

Jack stared at her.

'I mean I just thought you'd probably done what you did in Iraq.' Sam explained hurriedly. She registered his confusion. 'Thought about your wife to get you through it.'

'Ah.' Jack could understand why she'd jumped to that conclusion as their discussion when she had splinted his leg came back to him. 'No.' He said slowly. 'I didn't think about Sara at all.' His brown eyes remained steady on Sam's blue gaze.

Sam felt a warm glow flood over her body. Stop it, Sam, she cautioned herself. Just because he hadn't been thinking about his wife didn't mean he had been thinking about her.

'I'm sorry.' Jack said softly.

She frowned at him. 'What for?'

'Well, I'm given to understand most women don't like being called the wrong name.' Jack said, lightening his tone and hoping she would accept his apology.

Sam smiled at him. 'There were extenuating circumstances. I think I can forgive you.'

He relaxed a little. 'So is there anything else that happened after you came back that I should know about?'

She shook her head quickly. 'No.'

'No?' Jack pressed seeing her eyes suddenly become guarded.

'I just…' Sam shrugged self-consciously. 'I told you it was an honour serving with you too.'

The room was suddenly silent as blue eyes locked onto chocolate brown and held.

A clatter of a trolley in the corridor had them snapping their attention to the closed door.

Jack sighed and turned back to Sam. He noticed the faint white lines of tiredness creasing her face and gestured at her. 'You should rest.'

Sam smiled but nodded at the implicit order. She was tired. 'Yes, sir.' She snuggled down into the covers and closed her eyes.

Jack watched her as she drifted into sleep.

Sir.

It was the first time she had called him 'sir' since the ice cave. He grimaced at the reminder of their ranks and positions. At that moment he fervently wished he wasn't her CO.

He couldn't believe he had called her Sara. His divorce proceedings had been in progress for a while and he had accepted that his marriage was over. He loved Sara – a part of him always would – but it hadn't been the thought of Sara that had got him through his experience in the ice cave; it had been Sam. He didn't know what that meant; if it meant anything. He had a sudden thought that it probably explained why he had called Sam 'Sara'. Sara had always been what had got him through in the past and as Sam had gotten him through this time…maybe that was why his brain had associated Sam with Sara when he'd been delusional with hypothermia.

He shifted restlessly to lie on his back and stare at the ceiling. Sara was no longer the woman who occupied his thoughts. That woman was lying in the next bed and completely out of bounds to him. As her CO he wasn't meant to find Sam attractive or develop feelings of a personal nature for her beyond the nebulous team friendship stuff the regulations did allow. But Antarctica had ripped away some of his own self-deception about their relationship; he already cared about Sam, Jack realised, a little bit more than he should.

He wasn't an adolescent boy either. He knew what he was feeling was more than lust or the healthy attraction of a man to a beautiful woman. Sam was so much more than a gorgeous blue-eyed blonde with legs that went on forever. She was a competent soldier, a brilliant scientific genius, a quirky woman with a wicked sense of humour, a kind heart and a protective, loyal streak a mile wide. Every time he discovered a new facet to her, it seemed to erode his ability to view her completely professionally that little bit more. He wasn't in love, he assured himself defiantly, but he wasn't able to fool himself completely. He knew if he took one more small step in the direction he was heading, he would be so far over the line the regulations allowed he would never be able to re-establish the distance their positions required and if he couldn't, they wouldn't be able to stay on the same team.

He took a moment to consider the idea. Would it be so bad? Maybe he could retire again…he frowned. He had returned to duty for a reason; the fight against the Goa'uld. A fight that was in no small part a consequence of his own actions; if he hadn't killed Ra, Apophis might never have strayed into Ra's territory, might never have known about Earth. Jack sighed. He believed he had done the right thing in killing Ra but there was no doubt that his action had precipitated the current conflict and he felt a responsibility to clean it up.

He could request to be replaced and for him to lead another team but he wasn't quite certain there was another SG team commander that he would trust to lead his team. _His_ team. There was the rub. Jack considered SG1 his team. They all meant a great deal to him, not just Sam but also Daniel and Teal'c. He didn't know if he left and something happened to them whether he would be able to live with knowing if he'd stayed he might have prevented the hypothetical disaster. All of which meant he couldn't see himself leaving SG1 so if he couldn't control his feelings for Sam, it was Sam who would have to leave the team.

Over his dead body.

The thought shot through Jack like an arrow. Sam was an exceptional officer. He had been telling the truth when he had told her it had been an honour to serve with her. She had a great future ahead of her and he had no right to get in the way of it. It would be spectacularly unfair if he blighted her career because he cared about her too much…he edged away from the thought. No, if he cared about her at all, which he did, Jack admitted to himself, he would make damn sure her career was protected from any idiocy on his part.

Besides, there was no doubt in his mind that SG1 were the best team in the SGC. It wasn't a question of immodesty; it was fact. Their mix of skills and experience worked in some bizarre, crazy way and he really did believe that they were part of the solution to the Goa'uld. If either he or Sam left the team, it would weaken their chances of defeating their enemy somehow and that was just unacceptable to him.

All of which meant, Jack realised with more than a little regret that he was going to have to get their relationship back to some semblance of the status quo before their little side trip to Antarctica. His eyes slid back to Sam. They'd been close since their shared trauma, probably in part because of it, and easing back from that was going to be painful for them both. He figured she already knew that. That 'sir' she had hit him with just before she had gone to sleep…she was already beginning the process, he realised.

His chest tightened in disappointment. Why wouldn't she? He asked himself furiously. While she might feel closer to him because of what had happened, there was no reason for him to believe her feelings for him were anything other than an appropriate fondness and respect for her team-leader. She had never hinted that she might feel anything more for him than that, and he wasn't counting the whole locker-room kiss thing when she had been under the influence of an alien virus, because well, she had been under the influence of an alien virus. She was a young, beautiful, vibrant woman with intelligence and grace; why would she even look at someone like him? In some ways her lack of interest in him was a good thing, he mused ignoring the twinge of disappointment he felt. It was a good way to keep his own feelings in check; she didn't feel the same way so nothing would ever happen and he would never place her in the position of knowing how he felt and complicating life for them both.

He sighed and closed his eyes settling into a more comfortable position to sleep. But maybe with that in mind, if nothing was ever going to happen between them, maybe he didn't need quite as much distance between them as had existed before, he mused. He led Daniel and Teal'c without a professional distance and there was no reason to suppose he wouldn't be able to lead Sam. So long as they maintained a certain formality in front of other military personnel, he didn't see the problem. His mind fixed at last on a way forward, he finally let himself sleep.

o-O-o

Daniel's eyes darted from the engravings on the stone wall in front of him and back to his notebook. He pushed his glasses up his nose and scribbled down the next set of words. From what he had been able to translate, the wall told of an ancient battle between Ra and Apophis. He had a feeling it was going to be fascinating when he had the time to sit down and transcribe it properly. He sighed contentedly drawing an inquiring glance from Teal'c who was stood beside him watching the immediate area for any sign of trouble. Daniel grinned at the Jaffa which prompted a raised eyebrow and an understanding nod. Both of them were happy to be back out in the field as SG1 after two months of downtime. Daniel looked behind him briefly at the camp where Jack and Sam were busy packing everything up from their overnight stay.

The archaeologist shook his head fondly at them before he returned his attention to the wall. It had been a strange couple of months of downtime, Daniel mused as he continued to note down the various symbols and words in front of him. He had managed to get caught up on all his translations and artefact examinations; had even found time to spend on the computer model of the information device they had found when recovering Ernest Littlefield. Teal'c had more often than not accompanied other SG teams off-world but whenever the Jaffa had returned from a mission, SG1 had all congregated together to hear about his adventures.

A couple of weeks before, Teal'c had been on the initial reconnaissance of the planet they were currently exploring; no signs of inhabited life, a nice temperate climate and ancient ruins that required translation. Hammond had held off assigning the mission to another SG team and had presented it to SG1 when Jack had returned to full active duty the week before. It was a relatively safe first mission back and nobody on SG1 was complaining.

Daniel let his eyes stray back to his team-mates momentarily as though to check they were both OK. Despite her initial set-back with the pneumonia, it had been Sam who had recovered and returned to active duty first. After completing a full gate diagnostic with Sergeant Siler to confirm there were no long term effects of the power surge that had caused the wormhole to jump to Antarctica, she had immediately immersed herself in her lab. Jack, who had been declared fit for light duties, or as he had put them paperwork duties, had taken it upon himself to ensure she didn't overwork. More often than not, he inveigled Daniel out of his office at the same time as pulling Sam from her lab and the three of them, four if Teal'c was around, would find themselves in the mess eating a snack or watching the sunset from the top of the mountain. Daniel had to admit that the moments had helped keep them a cohesive team in the absence of their usual missions although he had a feeling that outcome hadn't been Jack's primary motivation. Daniel had rapidly come to the conclusion that Jack's primary motivation had everything to do with his continuing separation anxiety for a certain blonde Air Force officer.

His pen paused for a moment against the page before he resumed transcribing. There had been a subtle shift in the relationship between his two friends. Daniel had expected there would be some impact from their experience in Antarctica, after all the experience had been too intense, too dramatic for it to have no effect at all. He hadn't been surprised that the separation anxiety had lasted nor that they seemed closer. It seemed to Daniel that Jack had decided to abandon his previous stance of maintaining a completely military relationship with Sam and had started to treat her exactly the same as he treated Daniel and Teal'c; the only difference being that he was careful to display the appropriate formality normally required in front of other military officers. Sam maintained more of a semblance of their previous formality but there was a definite light-heartedness about some of her exchanges with Jack that the Captain had never displayed before with her CO.

Daniel thought the change was for the better; he knew the regulations were in place for a reason but SG1 wasn't a typical team and he figured Jack treating Sam the same as himself and Teal'c was much fairer to the Captain. He was pleased though with the older man's consideration of Sam's career in ensuring the formality was in place when it was needed and he appreciated Sam's caution in being unwilling to fully relinquish it even in the relative privacy of an off-world mission with only her team in attendance. If the shift in the boundary of their professional relationship had been the only change in their relationship, Daniel would have been content instead he was faintly uneasy because it wasn't the only change he had noticed between Sam and Jack; it seemed Antarctica had magnified the attraction that had always existed between the two of them.

Strangely, Daniel mused, it had only hit him the night before. They had all been sat around the campfire talking; Sam and Jack had been sitting next to each other but that wasn't unusual. What was unusual was suddenly realising in the middle of the conversation, that Jack would occasionally look at Sam with a wistful expression when he thought he wasn't being watched and that Sam was sneaking glances at Jack when she thought nobody was looking. There had been one moment when their gazes had collided and they had both smiled apologetically but they hadn't looked away. Daniel had been about to tease them both about it when Teal'c had suddenly made a comment about the forest that had diverted their attention and the moment had passed. In hindsight, Daniel realised the Jaffa had done it deliberately.

He looked over at Teal'c and wondered whether he should broach the subject. It had actually been Teal'c who had alerted him to the possibility of the pair being attracted to each other before. Teal'c's 'sit-back-and-observe' approach worked well for him and he often picked up on things that others missed. Daniel had to admit he was incredibly curious about what the Jaffa had observed about Sam and Jack…

'You finished, Daniel, or are you just staring into space for no reason?'

Jack's voice behind him startled him and he almost dropped his pen. He fidgeted with his glasses and gestured at the wall. 'I have one more section.'

Jack sighed. He glanced around the small clearing and his eyes landed on Sam who had lined up their gear already to go.

'Perhaps Captain Carter and I should go on ahead to the Stargate.' Teal'c suggested.

The Colonel looked over at the Jaffa. He was probably bored, Jack thought amused. He couldn't blame him; he was bored and he hadn't been stood for the last hour watching Daniel scribble into his notebook. He nodded and gestured towards the path. 'Sure. You and Carter go on ahead.'

Teal'c inclined his head, hefted his staff weapon and set off towards Sam. A moment later both of them walked to the path and disappeared.

Jack glanced around for somewhere to rest and saw a large boulder next to Daniel. He made himself comfortable as he scanned the tree line for any sign of trouble.

'How's the leg?' Daniel asked as he peered at a faded word and wrinkled his nose as he tried to make the symbols out.

'OK.' Jack said automatically.

Daniel shot him a look.

'It's fine.' Jack said defensively.

The archaeologist gave him another look of disbelief and dropped the subject. According to most medical experts and from his own research, Jack had pushed his recovery a little.

'So it sounds like you're enjoying your new apartment.' Jack said idly. Daniel had mentioned his new neighbours during their discussion at breakfast.

'Hmmm.' Daniel tried to tune him out as he completed his work. He had finally moved out of Jack's a couple of weeks earlier. He was more than thankful that Jack had given him a place to stay when he had lost his old home after being believed dead but it was nice to have his personal space again.

'Are you planning on inviting us over at some point?' Jack asked, disturbing Daniel's concentration again.

Daniel blew out a breath in frustration. 'Do you want me to finish this or not?'

They glared at each other for a moment.

Jack lifted his hand from his weapon and waved at the ruins. 'Carry on.' He said magnanimously.

Silence reigned for a few minutes until Daniel glanced over and saw Jack gazing off at the path worriedly.

'You know,' Daniel began hesitantly, 'I've spent most of my time this mission just checking that you and Sam are still with us.'

Jack's head snapped back round to him. He shifted on the rock.

'I guess it's going to be sometime before you stop worrying about Sam.' Daniel offered. 'The whole separation anxiety thing.'

Jack shrugged uneasy with the conversation.

'You both seem different.' Daniel said as he crouched for the last few lines on the lower part of the ruin.

Jack looked at the archaeologist alarmed.

'Closer.' Daniel continued unaware of his friend's reaction.

'You don't go through something like we went through without it bringing you closer together, Daniel.' Jack said calmly, relaxing a little.

'I know it's just I'm used to the two of you maintaining a certain…' Daniel struggled to find a word.

'Distance?' Jack offered.

'Yeah.' He nodded. 'Distance.'

Jack gave a rueful smile. 'We're military, Daniel. There's always going to be some distance between Carter and me; there has to be, but it seems a little pointless when it's just us. I mean, it doesn't change the fact that I'm her CO. It's not like anything can happen between us just because there's less…distance.' He stopped with the sudden thought that he was babbling and that Daniel had turned to look at him oddly. 'What?'

Daniel shook his head and turned back to his work. If he didn't know any better he would say Jack was more than attracted to Sam; he sounded like he was a little sweet on her…his hand stilled abruptly and he literally rocked back on his feet. Suddenly the looks between the two of them made a horrible kind of sense. It seemed their Antarctica experience hadn't just magnified their attraction, it had deepened it.

'You done?' Jack asked, breaking into Daniel's thoughts.

'Uh?' Daniel blinked at him.

Jack's eyebrows rose slightly. 'Are you done?'

Daniel looked back at the wall. 'Almost.' He started to write again knowing without looking that Jack was shaking his head in exasperation. He wondered if Jack even realised how he felt about Sam or if he had a clue Sam might feel the same way about him. Maybe the older man had convinced himself anything he or they did feel was just a lingering after effect of their experience. From the sound of it Jack had managed to convince himself having a lack of distance was some kind of conscious decision to be fair to Sam given the other team dynamics rather than any unconscious desire to retain their closeness.

Daniel almost opened his mouth to say something before he reconsidered. He suddenly realised why Teal'c had intervened at the campfire before he could tease the couple. If either he or Teal'c raised the matter it would bring it out into the open and while that would have major ramifications for the couple personally it would also have ramifications for the team given Jack and Sam's military positions.

The archaeologist shifted uneasily as he admitted quietly to himself that he selfishly liked the status quo. But if his friends did have feelings for each other, didn't they deserve to be happy? To be together? Possibly, he answered his own question silently, but it was their choice and both of them for whatever reason had decided to ignore what was between them, consciously or unconsciously and continue as before. Maybe he should simply respect their decision. He sighed and finished the last line with a flourish.

'I'm done.'

'Great.' Jack pushed off the boulder and waited impatiently as Daniel packed his notebook away. He did a final check of the clearing before they set off to the Stargate.

The closer they got to the others, the more Daniel felt the urge to say something, anything to Jack about the change in the Colonel's relationship with Sam.

'Jack.'

'Daniel.'

'About you and Sam…'

Jack looked over at him cautiously. 'What about us?'

'I just…' Daniel's blue eyes flickered to Jack and he couldn't say it. He sighed. 'I'm glad the two of you are back.'

'Well, we're glad to be back.' Jack said easily.

Daniel nodded as they cleared the forest and made their way across the short expanse of grass to the DHD where Teal'c and Sam were waiting.

'Dial it up, Carter.' Jack said with a wide smile as he came to a halt next to the Captain.

'Yes, sir.' Sam smiled back. She seemed to be smiling at him a lot, she realised as she reached for the DHD. She was going to have to watch that.

They all watched as the wormhole engaged with a satisfying blue whoosh before it shifted into the usual rippling blue puddle.

Jack confirmed the IDC signal was sent and gestured for Teal'c and Daniel to move off as he stayed behind to help Sam with her sample cases. He looked up to find them both still waiting on the steps.

'What's up?' Jack asked impatiently.

Daniel looked back at Jack and Sam. 'It's just…the last time we did this…' he sighed, 'we were separated.'

'Teal'c?' Jack couldn't believe the Jaffa had any concerns.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. He wasn't confirming he was nervous about their trip back but he wasn't denying it either. As much as he was unwilling to admit it, he found the possibility of the team being separated again unsettling.

'Has it occurred to you that if we hadn't been separated we would all be frozen popsicles right now?' Jack asked exasperated.

Daniel crossed his arms and glared at him; Teal'c's eyebrow crept a little higher.

'And I don't suppose it'll do any good if Carter explains why we all won't get separated this time?' Jack said. He frowned suddenly and his gaze flickered to Sam. 'Uh…we all won't get separated this time, right?'

Her warm smile was reassuring. 'Right, sir. Not unless an unknown assailant suddenly comes out of nowhere and hits the gate with a high energy blast causing the wormhole to jump mid-transit.'

He scowled for effect. 'You couldn't have just said no?'

The smile on her face broadened and her blue eyes twinkled back at him irrepressively.

Jack sighed again. He gestured at the wormhole. 'OK. Carter and I will go first…'

'No.' Daniel said firmly, interrupting him.

'No?' Jack repeated the word coloured with his startled outrage.

'If Teal'c and I go last then we'll get stuck together on wherever the wormhole jumps to, and…uh,' Daniel waved at the Jaffa, 'no offence, Teal'c, but I'd rather be stuck with Sam; she can fix the DHD.'

'No offence taken.' Teal'c murmured. 'I too would prefer to be stuck with Captain Carter.'

Daniel shot him a look wondering if he'd just been insulted; Teal'c looked impassively back at him.

'Look, if anybody's getting stuck with Carter, it's me.' Jack said oblivious to the by-play between the two other men.

He suddenly found himself the focus of three pairs of eyes and realised what he'd said and how possessive he'd sounded. Great job, Jack, he berated himself silently.

'Shovel, Jack?' Daniel couldn't help the teasing comment.

Jack glared at him. 'I mean,' he began hurriedly, 'that I would obviously prefer to have Carter and her skills with me too if I got stuck on a planet.' He risked a glance at Sam.

She beamed at him and Jack couldn't help but smile back even as he noted she looked like she was enjoying his discomfort a little too much.

'OK,' Jack said mischievously, 'so we all want to be with Carter. Maybe we should let Carter decide who she wants to get stuck with.'

Sam had actually been feeling pretty good up till that point. Every single one of her team-mates wanted to be stuck with her. It gave her a happy glow. The Colonel's words started alarm bells ringing in her head.

'Well, Carter?' Jack grinned back at her as her smile fell away. 'Who's it going to be?'

Sam's eyes lingered for a moment on her CO but there was no way she was choosing him, she thought fiercely; she might just as well come right out and tell him how she felt. She looked back round at her team-mates; at Daniel then Teal'c, both of whom she loved like brothers, and back to Jack, who she definitely cared about in a totally different way altogether. She sighed. 'Well, sir,' her eyes met his apologetically, 'as much as I loved spending time with you alone in Antarctica…'

Daniel snorted and she shot him a reprimanding look.

'…if I got stuck somewhere and needed help to get home,' Sam continued, 'I would prefer to be stuck with all three of you.'

Jack and Daniel beamed at her while Teal'c inclined his head in acknowledgement.

'Excellent choice, Carter.' Jack said.

'Thank you, sir.' Sam smiled at him.

'Maybe that's the solution.' Daniel said.

Jack looked over at him. 'What?'

'We all go through together.' Daniel explained, waving back at the wormhole behind him. 'As a team.'

Jack sighed and glanced at Sam. She smiled at him brightly and gave a shrug. They both looked back at the other two and started up the steps until they were level with their team-mates.

'OK, so we go together.' Jack said. 'As a team.'

'Together.' Daniel said quickly nodding at Jack.

Teal'c bowed his head at Jack's questioning glance.

Jack's brown eyes landed on Sam. 'Together, Carter?'

'Together, sir.' She agreed.

Jack nodded. 'Together then.' He gave the signal to move out.

All four of them stepped into the wormhole. Together.


	18. Better

**Author's Note: **Team friendship. Robot team friendship with Robot Sam/Jack.

**Tin Man Recap:** _SG1 arrive on P3X989 and are zapped by a machine. They awake in jumpsuits to meet Harlan, the only surviving native of the planet. They realise Harlan has done something to them but when he refuses to answer too many questions, SG1 return to Earth. During their medical exam, they realise they are robots to a much alarmed Janet and Hammond. As the robots start to fail, __Hammond__ agrees to send them back to the planet where they recover; their power source is on the planet and they can never leave as Harlan tells them he cannot reverse the process. As they try to make the mental adjustment to being robots, a crisis reveals that they are duplicates of the original SG1 who are being held hostage by Harlan. The robot O'Neill agrees with Jack that the robots are staying on P3X989 and will bury the gate before they say goodbye and return home… _

**Better **

The four members of SG1 froze at the top of the ramp in the SGC gate room. The defence team had their guns pointed directly at them and looked as though they were prepared to use them. Colonel Jack O'Neill raised his eyebrows but didn't move from his position. His robotic duplicate – and just thinking the term made his skin crawl – had told him what had happened when the robotic team had mistakenly returned to the SGC in their stead. He and the rest of SG1 had been expecting the reception committee. He sighed and glanced over to check they were OK.

His gaze landed first on Captain Samantha Carter standing next to him; the young blonde Air Force officer was scanning the defence team warily, alert for anybody with a trigger-happy finger. Teal'c was also surveying the defence team in a manner that suggested he was calculating which he would take out first. Jack was impressed at the Jaffa training that led to the automatic response. Now if he could only get Daniel to do the same, he mused as his brown eyes slid to the archaeologist.

Daniel Jackson frowned at the soldiers and pushed his glasses up his nose. 'Are those really necessary?' He complained in a loud voice.

Jack sighed and shook his head a little as General Hammond swept into the room. Jack could tell that his usual humour was not going to be met with the General's usual tolerance; the other man's face was set in a hard expression that allowed no room for any interpretation other than that he was deadly serious.

Hammond's pale blue eyes roamed over the four people on the ramp and he took a deep breath. 'You'll be escorted to the infirmary for medical checks under armed guard and from there you will be taken to a secure holding cell until we can confirm your identities. Do you understand?'

'Understood, sir.' Jack replied crisply.

'Yes, sir.' Sam added.

Teal'c bowed his head as Daniel nodded unhappily.

Hammond nodded at the SFs who gestured for SG1 to move down the ramp.

Jack nodded his agreement for the team to move. They made their way to the infirmary in silence where they were each escorted to a bed with a guard posted at the end of it.

Janet Fraiser strode into the room and tried to give the appearance of confidence despite her inner nervousness. Her last experience with what she had thought to be SG1 was still vivid in the forefront of her mind including the Colonel plunging a scalpel into his arm and revealing a mechanical skeleton underneath the skin. She snapped on her rubber gloves and reached for the tourniquet.

She hesitated for a moment over which member of SG1 to examine first. Sam gave her an encouraging smile but Janet was saved from having to make a decision as the Colonel beckoned her over and started to take off his green jacket. She made her way to him; if it was him then she knew he would want to go first to reassure his team and if he wasn't…well, they might as well start with him.

'I hear we gave you quite a scare, Doc.' Jack said conversationally as Janet tied the tourniquet.

Janet's brown eyes met his briefly.

'Well, when I say we, I mean them.' Jack corrected himself. He gestured with his free arm. 'The robot us.'

'It is us, Doctor Fraiser.' Daniel chimed in.

'That's what you said the last time, Doctor Jackson.' Janet replied looking over her shoulder at him.

'Oh.' Daniel blinked at her.

Janet plunged the needle into Jack's arm and drew the syringe back; the cavity filled with red blood. She gave a brief sigh of relief. 'Well, that's certainly an encouraging start.' She gave a nod at two of her medics waiting in the doorway and they moved in to begin the examinations on the others. Half an hour later and the tests were complete; all they needed were the results.

'Now what?' Jack asked as he shrugged back into his jacket.

'Now you'll be escorted to the secure holding room until I get the results back on the DNA and other blood work.' Janet said, making a notation in his medical file. Her attitude had warmed up considerably in the past thirty minutes.

'Is that really necessary?' Daniel asked. 'I mean you know it's us now, right?'

'He has a point, Janet.' Sam said. 'The MRI and x-rays have to have shown we're not robots.'

'I am ninety-nine per cent certain you are SG1.' Janet admitted, putting her pen in her pocket and looking across at her friend. 'But the General's orders were very specific. Until we get the DNA tests confirming your identities, we're not taking any chances with base security.'

'A wise precaution.' Teal'c noted.

Janet inclined her head at the Jaffa and looked around the despondent group sympathetically. 'I'll try to get the tests done as soon as I can.'

'Yeah.' Jack jumped off the bed. 'Thanks, Doc.'

Janet nodded at the SFs and she watched as the group was led out. She sighed and headed to the lab to oversee the DNA test herself; this was too important to get wrong.

o-O-o

Jack was stretched out on a lower bunk. To most observers he looked relaxed; his legs were crossed at the ankle, his hands behind his head and he was looking up at the top bunk in a steady gaze. Every single person in the room knew his relaxed pose was an illusion but were trying their best to ignore the frustrated Colonel. Daniel and Teal'c were sat at the table playing cards. Sam was curled up on the opposite bunk with her eyes closed. Her request for her laptop had been met with a short and quick refusal and she had subsided onto the bunk claiming she could do with a nap. Her team-mates suspected she was sulking.

'Oh for crying out loud.' Jack muttered, suddenly shifting into an upright position. 'How long does it take for a DNA test?'

'Well it depends on…' Sam began to reply.

'Carter!'

Sam sighed audibly and bit down her annoyance; if he didn't want the answer, why ask the question, she thought irritably. She rubbed her upper arms trying to warm them up a little; she'd left her jacket in the infirmary and the room was a little cold for her to be wearing just her black undershirt. Maybe the Colonel did have a point, she mused. They had been stuck in the room for over four hours.

Jack's eyes wandered over Sam worriedly. She had only just recovered from pneumonia after their experience of being trapped in the wilds of Antarctica thanks to a wormhole malfunction. The mission to P3X989 was only their second mission back and it was supposed to have been a quick and easy recon. He grabbed his jacket off the end of his bed and headed over to hers. 'Here.'

Sam's annoyance with him melted away and she smiled at him gratefully as she accepted the offered clothing. 'Thank you, sir.'

'You want me to ask them to turn the heat up?' Jack asked concerned as he sat down on the foot of her bed.

'I'm fine, sir.' Sam said. 'This will help.' She moved to a sitting position and pulled on the jacket.

He helped her into it, adjusted the collar affectionately and smiled back at her. Neither of them noticed Teal'c and Daniel exchange a look at their interaction. The attraction between the two military officers hadn't gone unnoticed by either of them but there was a completely mutual and unspoken agreement to respect Jack and Sam's decision to seemingly ignore it.

'At least we know we'll get out of this room at some point, sir.' Sam said, trying to stay positive.

Jack looked at her questioningly as his hand fell away from the material.

'Our robot selves must have wondered if they would ever get out when it happened to them.' Sam expanded.

'Why would they wonder that?' Daniel asked perplexed.

'You really think the government would have just let us, them, go back to work as robots, Daniel?' Jack asked sharply. 'After what happened with the Tollans?'

Daniel grimaced. A couple of months earlier the team had conspired to help a group of advanced aliens escape the SGC when the NID had turned up looking to take them into custody. He could imagine the same fate that had awaited the Tollans would have happened to their duplicate robotic selves; a lifetime of forced labour. 'I guess not.' He admitted a little chagrined.

Jack's lips twitched. There was a refreshing naivety to Daniel sometimes.

'It must be tough for them.' Daniel said idly, throwing out a card and picking up another, oblivious to Teal'c's glower at the move.

'What do you mean?' Sam asked.

'Well, we get to come home but they don't.' Daniel said.

'As it should be.' Jack responded, clasping his hands together as he leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. 'We're the real us.'

'Just because they're mechanical doesn't make them any less real than us, Jack.' Daniel said as he picked up another card, discarding another from his hand. 'I mean they are essentially us; they have the same thoughts, feelings, memories.'

'They're robots.' Jack enunciated his words clearly as though Daniel had failed to grasp the main concept.

The younger man rolled his blue eyes and gestured at the Captain sitting beside the Colonel. 'Sam, back me up here.'

'I'm sorry, Daniel, but I agree with the Colonel.' Sam said.

'You do?' Both Jack and Daniel asked in surprised unison.

'I do.' Sam said, answering them both and swinging her legs around to mirror Jack's pose. 'I'm not sure the robots meet the definition of a life-form.'

'You hear that, Daniel; she agrees with me.' Jack said triumphantly.

Daniel darted an annoyed glance at Jack before he turned his attention back to Sam. 'How can you say that?' He demanded astounded. If there was one person he had believed would support his argument it had been Sam.

'Because they're machines, Daniel.' Sam argued passionately.

'They're sentient.' Daniel argued back waving his cards at her. 'They're intelligent and…and self-aware.'

'That's one definition of life,' Sam allowed, 'but they only have that intelligence and self-awareness because ours was copied and downloaded into them.'

'But that very act gave them life.' Daniel said.

'OK, Daniel,' Sam said, shifting to sit right on the edge of the bed, 'do they need food to eat?'

'Well, no.' Daniel admitted.

'Can they reproduce?' Sam asked immediately, barely waiting for his reply.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his chair and his eyes flitted across the table to the Jaffa. 'Well we know from the Teal'c robot we saw Harlan complete that they were made anatomically correct.'

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and stared at Daniel who averted his gaze.

Sam focused on her argument. 'Even if they are anatomically correct, we have no way of knowing that the function of the anatomy would be the same.' She smiled a little wickedly. 'They have the equipment but it might not work.'

Both Daniel and Jack shifted uncomfortably in their seats at the thought; Teal'c simply looked affronted.

'And, the mechanisms may not be duplicated on the inside.' Sam said firmly. 'I can't see how my robotic duplicate would be able to conceive or carry a child.'

'OK,' Jack said interrupting, 'I'm beginning to get queasy now.'

'They could create another robot through the device.' Daniel argued.

'The technology copies a fully grown organic being, Daniel, and produces a mechanical version.' Sam pointed out. 'It doesn't create a brand new unique life.'

'I disagree.' Daniel said. 'They're unique from the point of their creation.'

'But…'

The door opened and General Hammond swept him.

Jack looked at him with undisguised relief as he and Sam rose to their feet. He had a horrible feeling Sam and Daniel could have continued their philosophical discussion for hours. 'Sir. It's good to see you.'

Hammond's demeanour softened a little at the Colonel's enthusiasm and he smiled fondly at them. 'Welcome back SG1.'

'Does this mean…?' Jack gestured at the door.

'Doctor Fraiser has confirmed your identities and you're free to leave the holding room.' Hammond confirmed.

'Thank you, sir.' Jack said happily.

Hammond nodded. 'We'll debrief in one hour.' He turned and left the room without waiting for a reply.

They all exchanged a brief look of relief before they began to file out of the room. An hour later, showered, fed and feeling somewhat happier with the world, SG1 took their places at the briefing table.

Daniel gestured with the coffee pot and Jack shook his head as Sam and Teal'c politely declined. The archaeologist poured himself a cup and slipped into a chair next to the Jaffa opposite the two military officers who sat together on the opposite side of the table. He took a slurp of coffee. He glanced at his watch and looked over at the General's office, the rest of the team following his gaze; Hammond could be seen through the internal window. Although his back was to the briefing room, they could clearly see he had the red phone at his ear – the one with the direct line to the President – and with the gestures he was making, it was obviously an animated conversation.

'That doesn't look good.' Daniel murmured.

Jack inwardly agreed but decided to give the General some privacy and made the ultimate sacrifice to pull their attention back to the briefing table. 'Did you two come to any conclusion on your robots argument?'

Sam looked at the Colonel in surprise momentarily before she worked out his motivation. She smiled at him. 'I think Daniel and I will have to agree to disagree on this one, sir.'

'I still think…' Daniel began.

The General's office door opened and he strode out.

Sam sprang to her feet as protocol dictated and Jack followed her at a more sedate pace.

A slightly flustered looking Hammond nodded at both of them and the three military officers sat down.

'So…' Hammond spread his hands out, 'what happened?'

'We arrived on P3X989 as scheduled, sir.' Jack reported crisply. 'We had begun to make a surveillance of the immediate environment when we were zapped by something that knocked us out.'

Hammond glanced at Sam for a more technical description.

'Uh…the technology is definitely beyond us, sir.' Sam said, unable to expand on the Colonel's remark.

'We woke up tied up in a room which is when we met Harlan.' Jack's face briefly showed his annoyance with the native resident of P3X989.

'He told us he didn't mean us any harm,' Daniel jumped in, 'and that we would be let go.'

'And then he disappeared.' Jack added as though to contradict the statement Daniel had just made.

'He came back.' Daniel said defensively.

'To gag us.' Jack pointed out. 'And then he disappeared for hours.' He elongated the last two words.

Daniel slumped back in his chair.

'When he came back he was with us, them,' Jack gestured impatiently, 'the robots.'

'How?' Hammond asked.

'Harlan effectively duplicated our bodies and consciousness into mechanical versions, sir.' Sam stepped in to explain. 'A body scanner took measurements and proportions which were fed into the production device.' She paused. 'I'm not certain we would ever be able to understand the technology for the copy of the consciousness into the robot's neural net.'

'Am I to understand these robots know everything you know?' Hammond checked.

'That's correct, sir, but I discussed the security implications with my…uh…self,' Jack visibly winced, 'and he agreed to bury the gate on P3X989.'

'You'll forgive me, Colonel, but didn't Doctor Jackson promise to do the same on Abydos?' Hammond pointed out.

Daniel looked down at the table as Jack glanced across at him sympathetically; he knew unburying the gate on Abydos was something the archaeologist regretted.

'I believe he'll bury it, sir.' Jack said firmly.

'How can you be so sure?' Hammond asked.

'Well, if I were him, I would assume that I would send a bomb because I wouldn't trust myself not to bury the gate, so I would,' Jack waved his hands in the air vaguely, 'bury the gate, sir.'

Daniel looked up at Jack. 'That actually made sense.'

Jack smiled at him.

'In a bizarre, twisted kind of way.' Daniel completed enjoying how the smile fell away from Jack's face.

Hammond ignored their by-play. 'Fair enough but I want all your security codes and passwords changed immediately.'

There was a chorus of agreement.

'I'll expect your mission reports by tomorrow at eighteen-hundred. Dismissed.' Hammond said abruptly. He headed straight back to his office and sat down behind his desk. The tap on his door surprised him into looking up. He blinked at the sight of the Colonel standing formally in the doorway.

'Colonel?'

'Sir.' Jack entered the office and wondered how he broached the subject. 'I couldn't help noticing you seem a little…' he searched for a word, couldn't find one and gestured helplessly.

Hammond sighed. 'It's just the usual budget discussions, Colonel.'

'Ah.' Jack's brown eyes gleamed sympathetically at the General. 'Sorry to hear that, sir.'

'Not as sorry as I am.' Hammond said with a brief laugh.

'Is there anything I can do?' Jack offered.

Hammond shook his head. 'Thanks for the concern, Colonel.'

Jack nodded and turned to leave.

'And Jack?'

Jack looked back inquisitively at the General.

'It's good to have you and your team back.' Hammond said sincerely.

'It's good to be back, sir.' Jack gave a pleased smile and closed the office door behind him as he wandered back through the briefing room. He glanced at the Stargate through the briefing room window on his way past. If he was his counterpart would he bury it? He frowned a little and shook himself. Of course he would. Wouldn't he?

o-O-o

P3X989 

The four robots stared at the Stargate where a moment before their organic original selves had disappeared into the open wormhole to return to Earth. The wormhole was gone leaving only a gigantic space in the middle that seemed to represent everything they had lost.

'Well, busy, busy.' Harlan said with determined cheerfulness into the morose silence. He hurried away and none of them attempted to stop him.

'I guess we should bury the gate.' Daniel muttered finally.

'Why?' Jack asked impatiently.

The other three stared at him.

'Did you not agree to bury the gate with your counterpart, O'Neill?' Teal'c asked.

'Your point?' Jack said brusquely.

'Uh…how about they'll send a bomb through?' Daniel retorted.

'They won't send a bomb.' Jack said dismissively starting to walk away.

His team followed after him.

'You don't know that, sir.' Sam argued as she caught up with him.

'Yes, Carter, I do.' Jack said with exaggerated patience. 'And you know how I know? Because I know what I would do and I won't send a bomb.'

'How can you be so certain you…the other you…won't send a bomb?' Daniel asked exasperated.

'Because I would think that I would bury the gate because I know I would send the bomb so knowing that I would bury the gate because I know I would send the bomb, I wouldn't send the bomb and as I know I wouldn't send the bomb, there's no reason to bury the gate.'

'That has to be the most convoluted thing I've ever heard you say.' Daniel muttered.

'Thank you.' Jack said.

'It wasn't a compliment.' Daniel threw back.

Sam sighed. 'How do you know you…he won't work out all this?'

Jack stared at her. 'I know, OK?'

She could have continued arguing but at the militant look in her CO's eyes decided that silence was the best policy.

'Shouldn't we bury it anyway?' Daniel argued. 'To prevent others or the Goa'uld coming through?'

'Daniel Jackson is correct.' Teal'c said. 'We should work to ensure the security of this facility.'

'We could construct an iris.' Sam suggested.

'There you go.' Jack waved at Sam. 'We'll construct an iris.'

'But why bother?' Daniel asked. 'I mean it's not like we can leave.'

Jack suddenly stopped, causing them to stumble as they halted mid-step. 'No,' he admitted quietly, 'it's not like we can leave.' He leaned on the railing of the walk-way they were on and rubbed his face as they all stood in their small group and absorbed the reality of their situation.

Sam frowned and crossed her arms. 'Maybe that's not true.'

All three men turned to look at her.

'What?' Jack asked impatiently.

'Maybe it's not true we can't leave here.' Sam expanded.

'But our power source is here.' Daniel said perplexed.

'I know but didn't Harlan say that some of the others left with portable power supplies in the past?' Sam said. 'If I studied the power source here I'm certain I could come up with something.'

'So we could leave.' Daniel said wonderingly.

'We could leave.' Sam repeated.

'To do what?' Jack asked loudly. 'We couldn't go home.'

'No but we could explore, learn about other planets and civilisations.' Daniel said getting excited at the possibility.

'We could continue the fight against the Goa'uld.' Teal'c asserted.

'Exactly.' Daniel agreed passionately. 'We could still try and find Skaara and…and Sha're.'

Jack looked from Daniel to Teal'c to Sam. All of their faces were resolute and determined but with the faintest glimmer of hope lurking in their eyes. And they were all waiting for him to agree, he realised. He sighed and crossed his arms. His eyes flickered to Sam's. 'You really think you could make portable power sources?'

Sam nodded fervently. 'All I need is sometime to become familiar with the power source here.'

'What about running into…ourselves?' Jack asked. 'Won't that be a problem?'

'Not necessarily.' Sam said. 'I could reconstruct the computer programme that calculates the stellar drift of the gate addresses based on the Abydos cartouche. I could theorise the order in which the addresses based on that programme are produced and write another…'

'To produce the addresses in a different order.' Daniel finished.

'It wouldn't be a hundred percent foolproof, sir, but it should reduce the odds considerably.' Sam said.

Jack looked at Teal'c who nodded imperceptibly.

'OK.' Jack said. 'I guess we have a plan.'

They all grinned at each other.

Jack straightened. 'Teal'c, Daniel, why don't you scout around the place. See if you can find the materials we need for the iris.'

Daniel nodded while Teal'c bowed his head. They both set off down the walk way and disappeared round the end of the corridor.

'I guess you should get started on the power source things.' Jack said to Sam.

'Why don't I take care of that first, sir?' Sam pointed at his cheek where the circular hole in his skin revealed the metal skull underneath. 'Harlan showed me how to work the machine when we finished up Teal'c.'

'Right.' Jack agreed.

They made their way down to the chamber containing the machine Harlan had used to construct them.

Jack sat down on a stool as Sam positioned a device over his cheek.

'This should only take a few minutes, sir.' Sam said encouragingly.

'Jack.'

'Sir?' Sam asked bemused.

'You should call me Jack, Carter.' Jack gestured at her. 'If we're going to be together for eleven thousand years I'm thinking the 'sir' might get a little old.'

She smiled. 'What about when we're on missions?'

'Whatever makes you comfortable.' Jack said shrugging. 'It's not like our ranks mean anything here, Carter. We're not in the Air Force anymore so no more rules and regulations.'

No regulations.

The thought hit them both simultaneously and they stared at each other in sudden realisation that all the strictures that had applied to their relationship were no longer in place.

Sam tore her gaze away from his. She lowered the instrument and touched his cheek gently to check her work; the skin was repaired without a visible scar. 'I think it's fixed.' She said nervously.

Jack sighed. If they really were going to be together eleven thousand years without the regulations, there was no way he was going to be able to hide his attraction from her and from the way she was reacting she was already aware of it. Why else would she be nervous? Well, she was the smart one, he mused ruefully. 'Carter, I think we need to…talk.'

Her hand dropped away. 'Talk?'

'You've probably realised that I have feelings.' Jack began.

Sam blinked. 'Feelings?'

Jack squirmed on the stool under her wide, blue eyes. He was beginning to doubt his original assumption that she knew how he felt but he ploughed on regardless. 'I like you, Carter. Now that's my problem and I…'

'I like you too.' Sam's eyes widened even further as though she was surprised she'd blurted it out.

'You do?' Jack asked disbelievingly.

She nodded.

They looked at each other a little warily.

One of Jack's hands reached out and snagged her. He pulled her towards him slowly; his brown eyes holding her blue ones as he gave her time to protest, leave, tell him to stop; all the things he was certain she would do.

When their lips met, it wasn't enough. They both pressed closer almost immediately; their hands shifting to hold the other tightly as they kissed deeply.

Sam giggled suddenly and Jack lifted his head ruefully at the realisation why.

'I guess I can't claim that's my sidearm.' He muttered. At least, he mused with satisfaction, he knew everything worked.

'Not this time.' She said, remembering the moment in Antarctica when he'd last made that remark – or at least when the other Jack had made that remark to her organic self.

Jack felt a subtle tension in her that hadn't been there before and he stroked a hand down her back. 'I guess we're moving a little fast here.'

Sam smiled gratefully at his understanding. 'A little. I mean until two minutes ago you were my CO and this was just…uh…'

'A fantasy?' Jack suggested his brown eyes gleamed with amusement.

She held his gaze and nodded a little embarrassed at the admission even though she had the proof it was mutual.

'It would seem we have time, Sam.' Jack said even as the disappointment that his particular fantasy was obviously not going to happen right there and then sank in. 'There's no rush.'

Sam smiled before she stepped away. 'I'd better get started on the power source.'

'I'll catch up with the guys.' Jack said. 'See about that iris.'

She nodded and he watched her leave before he made to do the same.

Harlan bustled in. 'Ah, there you are. I see you've been repaired.' He pointed at Jack's cheek. 'Better? Hmmm?'

Jack stared at the annoying being that had created him for a long moment and thought about everything; he was with his team, who were in many ways the only family he had; they were still planning missions through the Stargate so their work would continue and, in this body without the rules and regulations of his previous existence, he might actually have a chance to be with Sam who shockingly felt the same way about him as he did about her.

'Yeah, Harlan.' Jack patted Harlan's arm surprising the rather rotund robot. 'Better.'


	19. Back to Reality

**Author's Note:** Daniel/Team friendship. Mild Sam/Jack.

**There But for the Grace of God Recap:** _SG1 barely arrives on P3R233 when Teal'c recognises a Goa'uld warning in the building they gate into that the planet's surface has been irradiated. Jack orders the team to leave. A frustrated Daniel stops to gather some priceless artefact and he accidentally activates an innocuous looking mirror which he touches. Thinking the team have left without him he gates back to Earth only to find himself greeted by a Colonel Hammond who claims to have no knowledge of him. _

_Catherine Langford also interrogates him noting he turned down her offer to work for the programme but Daniel convinces her to take him to see the base commander, General Jack O'Neill where he also meets Doctor Samantha Carter. He finds out that Earth is in the middle of a Goa'uld attack. Sam theorises that Daniel is from another reality and they show him a recording they received from their P3R233 a few months earlier; it says 'Beware the Destroyers, they come from'…and then a gate address coded as a series of numbers. As Daniel has P3R233's gate on video they can use that to determine the address; the others watch the video incredulously as they witness themselves in an alternate reality. _

_Daniel manages to convince Jack to help him leave by talking with Teal'c who is leading the offensive on the base as Apophis's First Prime in order to get time to dial out. When Sam hugs Jack goodbye, Catherine confides that the couple are engaged. Jack does buy some time but ultimately is killed by Teal'c; Daniel waits anxiously for the wormhole to engage. At the last moment, Teal'c blasts into the gate room just before Daniel makes a run for the wormhole. He shoots Daniel in the shoulder as he jumps through. _

_On P3R233 Daniel runs to the mirror and touches it again. He lands back in his own reality where he collapses with a moan, alerting his SG1 team-mates to his presence – they have spent hours looking for the missing archaeologist. As they wonder at his injury, Daniel comes to and tells them they're in trouble; big trouble… _

**Author's Note:**_ This story also contains the opening scene to Politics…no copyright infringement intended… _

**Back to Reality **

The call for a medical team sounded loudly through the tannoy system as SG1 made its way down the ramp in the gate room, SG2 behind them. The need for the med team was evident; Teal'c was carrying an unconscious Daniel Jackson over his shoulder while Colonel Jack O'Neill carried the Jaffa's staff weapon. The fourth member of the team, Captain Samantha Carter quietly informed the attending physician about the injury to Daniel's upper arm as she anxiously watched Teal'c set the archaeologist on the gurney.

They all headed towards the infirmary, absently handing weapons back to waiting personnel on their way. The doctor on duty barred their way into the treatment room and directed the three remaining SG1 team members into another where they suffered through their post-mission checks with barely concealed impatience. They settled into wait in the corridor outside Daniel's treatment room as soon as they were able.

'I don't understand how he got that staff blast.' Jack said eventually into the silence. It was a bad wound – had to hurt like hell – but it wasn't the wound that worried Jack; it was how Daniel could have gotten it.

'Nor do I.' Teal'c agreed. Unlike his Tau'ri team-mates who were leaning on the wall, he was standing upright, his hands clasped behind his back and his gaze focused on the door of the treatment room.

'I didn't hear anything.' Jack said. 'Did you?'

Sam shook her head. 'No, sir.'

'And we checked that room, what? Four, five times?' Jack crossed his arms and glared at the door as though his gaze could go through solid wood to the injured man inside. 'It doesn't make any sense.'

Sam sighed. 'What do you think he meant?'

'You mean that whole 'we're in big trouble' thing he said?' Jack checked. He shrugged when she nodded. 'No idea. Teal'c?'

'It means Daniel Jackson believes we are in big trouble.' Teal'c replied.

Both Sam and Jack blinked at him for a moment.

'Yes, Teal'c, but what is the big trouble?' Jack expanded trying to be patient with the Jaffa who did have a tendency to take things too literally at times.

'That I do not know.' Teal'c said. 'Daniel Jackson did not provide any further details.'

'Yes, he did.' Sam said, pushing off from the wall to gesture at them both. 'He said 'they're coming' just before he passed out.'

'So?' Jack shot back. 'Who's coming?'

'The Goa'uld?' Sam suggested. 'Apophis, maybe.'

'Speculation, Captain.' Jack said firmly.

'Yes, sir.'

Sam looked crushed as she subsided against the wall and Jack felt the stirring of a little guilt; he hadn't meant to sound quite so harsh. 'Sorry, Carter.' He gave a half-smile. 'It's late and it's been a rotten day.'

She nodded and glanced at her watch. It was well past one o'clock in the morning. Daniel had been missing for over fourteen hours. They had searched every inch of the installation on P3R233 several times trying to find him. Jack had been about to head back to the SGC for radiation suits to search the outside of the building when Daniel had miraculously reappeared in the room where he had disappeared. He'd better have a damn good explanation, Jack thought furiously, refusing to acknowledge that there was a lot of relief mixed in with his anger.

The treatment room door opened and the doctor stepped out. It wasn't someone the team usually dealt with but the thin man with a shock of dark hair motioned for them to follow him. They trooped into the room and came to a halt by Daniel's bed.

The archaeologist was lying propped up against a mountain of pillows with his injured arm wrapped in a dressing and supported by a sling. He looked asleep.

'Doctor Jackson came to again but he became very agitated and I had to sedate him.' The doctor explained.

'Agitated?' Jack asked crisply.

'He began shouting about how this wasn't his reality and that he had to get home, Colonel. He didn't recognise me and wanted Doctor Fraiser.' He shook his head and crossed his arms. 'It definitely seems as though he underwent some kind of trauma during his separation from the team. I'm sure Doctor Fraiser will recommend he talk with Doctor Mackenzie tomorrow.'

Jack barely stopped himself from making a face at the reference to the SGC's resident psychiatrist. 'Maybe we should wait until Daniel has the opportunity to explain what happened.'

The doctor seemed a little taken aback by Jack's abrupt tone and didn't respond.

Sam hurriedly stepped in. 'Is it OK if we stay with him?'

Her tactic of drawing attention worked as the doctor turned to face her. 'There's really no point. He's going to be out for the night.' He looked around at their unhappy expressions and sighed. 'You should all go to bed. There's nothing you can do for him.'

Jack looked as though he was about to argue but seemed to change his mind at the last minute. He nodded slowly. 'Thanks, doc. Just give us a few minutes, huh?'

The physician left them alone with their injured team-mate.

Jack walked up to the side of the bed and Sam followed him. Teal'c moved to stand on the opposite side.

'I will stay with Doctor Jackson.' Teal'c stated firmly.

'That's OK, Teal'c.' Jack said. 'I was planning to…'

'You and Captain Carter require rest.' Teal'c noted. 'I do not.'

Jack rubbed at his gritty eyes and conceded the Jaffa had a point.

'How about shifts?' Sam suggested. 'We could take turns.'

Jack scanned the shadows under her eyes and the way she held herself as though she was fighting the urge to simply collapse into a bed, a chair, something. He recognised it because he felt the same. 'Teal'c's right. We should get some rest.'

She shot him a disbelieving look.

'We have him back and he's safe, right?' Jack explained, waving at Daniel's prone form. 'He's not going anywhere. We can pick up with him in the morning.'

Sam barely looked mollified.

'Say goodnight to Daniel, Carter.' Jack knew however she felt she wouldn't disobey a direct order.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow but watched as Sam sighed and reached down to squeeze Daniel's hand gently before she stepped away. Jack patted Daniel's good arm and let the relief that they had found him sweep over him again. He looked over at Teal'c with a hard stare and the Jaffa bowed his head understanding the silent message that O'Neill trusted him to safeguard the archaeologist. He watched as the military officers left the infirmary before he lowered himself into a chair by Daniel's bedside and began his vigil.

o-O-o

Daniel frowned in his sleep; snatches of the hours he'd spent in another reality bombarding his unconscious mind…

_Hammond__ glaring at him; 'Who the hell are you?' _

_The confusion of the other man's lack of recognition; the weird notion of the General as the Colonel and the Colonel as the General… _

_Catherine Langford interrogating him...and his response; 'OK…I figured out how to use the Stargate. You recruited me to translate the cartouche found at __Giza__. I went through on the first mission through the Stargate to __Abydos__ and unless the last two years have been some whacky, whacky dream I am a member of SG1.' _

_'Not as far as I'm concerned.' _

_Talking with Jack…Sam… _

_'We've lost __Washington__ and __Philadelphia__, sir.' _

_'I'm sorry. What do you mean by lost?' _

_The world covered in red dots…pictures of the Goa'uld attack…Earth burning…sending a bomb to Chulak… _

_Sam explaining about alternate realities… 'Basically, scientists have theorised that there are an infinite number of dimensions each containing a different possible version of reality.' _

_'Well, it sounds like I theoretically, possibly, actually found one…an alternate reality, a parallel plane…this isn't my world at all.' _

_The Goa'uld ship landing on the mountain and the base under attack… _

_The message from P3R233…watching his video and getting the coordinates of the gate address of the origin of the Goa'uld attack. Everyone staring at the different reality on the video…arguing for the chance to save his reality, save his Earth… _

_'The Jack O'Neill that I know would do it.' _

_Brown eyes staring at him so familiar and yet so different…'Well, apparently you and I have never met.' _

_His impassioned plea: 'Look, all I know is that because I came here I have seen what can happen. Now I have a chance to keep this from happening to the Earth that I come from; if you help me.' _

_The crazy plan to buy time by talking to Teal'c… _

_'All I have to do is buy a little time.' Jack finally doing the right thing…as always. _

_Sam and Jack hugging goodbye. 'I take it they're not engaged in your reality?' Catherine's gentle words at seeing his surprise. _

_The base being rocked with explosion after explosion. _

_A race…the Stargate dialling…the self-destruct about to blow…Teal'c blasting through the gate room door. A look between them. The run up the ramp…the burn of the staff blast as it hit him… _

He cried out and came abruptly awake. His blue eyes blinked fiercely in the bright light of the infirmary.

'Daniel Jackson.'

His head snapped around at the sound of the low, deep voice of his Jaffa friend. 'Teal'c?' His gaze swept over the large man and he threw himself across the bed to hug the Jaffa awkwardly, not caring at the pain that shot through his injured arm at the move.

Teal'c's eyebrows lifted as he stoically suffered through the hug and waited for Daniel to recover himself.

The archaeologist eased back. 'Sorry, Teal'c, but I just…I just needed to do that.' He beamed at his friend. 'It's so good to see you as…' he gestured at him with his good hand, 'you.'

'Indeed.' Teal'c murmured.

'I'm really back.'

'Yes. You are.' Jack straightened from his slouch in the doorway where he had witnessed Daniel's hug of Teal'c with amusement.

'Jack.' Daniel shoved the covers back and clambered out regardless of the fact he was only dressed in his boxers. He met Jack half-way across the room and threw his good arm around the other man. 'It's you. It's really you.'

'Daniel.' Jack said warningly as he wondered where to put his hands before settling on Daniel's head which he patted fondly. It was good to see the younger man up and about; it was good to see him period although he would have preferred him clothed.

Daniel raised his head and caught sight of Sam over Jack's shoulder. He released the Colonel immediately, almost pushing him out of the way in his eagerness to get to her.

'Oh boy.' Sam said, her eyes flew to Jack who grinned back at her as Daniel's good arm clamped around her and she found herself pressed against him. She sighed and hugged the archaeologist back careful of his injured arm.

Daniel shifted back to look at her. 'I love your hair like this. Don't ever change it.'

'Thank you.' Sam said bemused. 'Are you alright, Daniel?'

'I am.' He confirmed. 'I am now.' He stepped back and beamed at them. 'It's so good to see you guys.'

'You want to tell us where you've been?' Jack asked as he shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

'That can wait, Colonel.' Janet Fraiser said authoratively from the other entrance to the treatment room. 'I'd like to examine Doctor Jackson in private.'

Jack opened his mouth to protest but the CMO stared him down and he sighed grumpily. He nodded at Daniel. 'We'll be outside.'

Daniel watched as his three team-mates started to make their way out of the room. He suddenly remembered the piece of paper he had clutched in his hand on his way home.

'Jack!'

The Colonel turned at Daniel's anxious yell and sent him an inquiring glance.

'Did you find a note? A piece of paper with a Stargate address?' Daniel asked urgently.

Jack and Sam exchanged a look.

'We did, Daniel.' Sam confirmed.

'Where is it?' Daniel asked impatiently. 'It's very important.'

'I have it.' Sam said. 'I'll get it.'

Daniel nodded and let them leave. He allowed Janet to usher him back towards the bed.

'So I hear you had quite an adventure.' Janet said, donning rubber gloves and indicating for the nurse with her to start removing Daniel's dressing. 'You gave everybody quite a scare going missing.'

'How long was I…?'

'Almost fourteen hours.' Janet informed him. 'So where were you?'

Daniel gave a humourless laugh. 'I don't think anyone's going to believe me.' He sighed deeply and shook his head. 'I hardly believe it myself.'

'Doctor Armstrong said you were disoriented when you arrived back last night.' Janet murmured as she examined the wound closely.

'I didn't recognise anyone when I came to in the infirmary.' Daniel said defensively. 'It kind of threw me.' He smiled at her a little shyly. 'I guess I just expect you to be here all the time.'

Janet smiled at him. 'Sometimes it feels like I am.' She stepped back from his wound frowning. The next few minutes passed as she concentrated on taking his vitals. 'Well, apart from the hole in your arm, you seem fine.' She concluded.

Daniel grimaced and rubbed his eyes. 'Does this mean I can get out of here?'

Janet nodded. 'Why don't you grab a shower? When you're done, I'll get one of the nurses to organise some clothes for you and redress your arm; give you some painkillers.'

'Thank you.' Daniel said gratefully.

He had showered and had just completed dressing when his team were allowed back into the room. His blue eyes immediately flew to Sam as he picked up his jacket. 'Do you have the note?'

She handed him the crumpled piece of yellow paper. 'It looks like a gate address.'

There was a pause as the nurse arrived and Daniel rolled up the arm of his t-shirt to allow him to redress his wound.

'It is a gate address.' Daniel confirmed. 'It's the origin of a planned Goa'uld attack on Earth.'

Jack's eyebrows shot up as he jumped up on the next bed to Daniel's. 'And you know this…how?'

Daniel looked from Teal'c standing next to him supportively, to Sam's expectant face to Jack's impatient brown eyes. He took a deep breath. 'I travelled to an alternate reality.'

Jack blinked at him as Teal'c's eyebrow jumped up and Sam stared at him in disbelief.

'There was a mirror on P3R233 and I touched it…'

'What have I told you about touching?' Jack interrupted exasperatedly.

Daniel ignored him. 'I found myself alone on P3R233. I thought you guys had left me there. I dialled home, arrived back at the SGC but it wasn't here…it was another SGC.'

'Another SGC?' Jack asked sceptically.

'Yes, Jack.' Daniel said shortly. 'Another SGC. Only everything was screwed up and Earth was under attack.'

'From the Goa'uld.' Jack said doubtfully. He was beginning to think the doctor had been right; maybe Daniel did need to talk to a shrink.

'But in that reality, the aliens of P3R233 managed to send a message which Earth had got but they couldn't translate it,' Daniel explained continuing despite Jack's interruptions, 'and I could.'

'Of course you could.' Jack muttered.

'What did it say?' Sam asked interested despite herself. Jack shot her a look; telling her without words not to encourage him.

'Beware the destroyers. That's what the message said.' Daniel said. He gestured at Jack with the crumpled up yellow note. 'These are the coordinates the Goa'uld will launch their attack from. It was a warning.'

'Or so your vision foretells.' Teal'c murmured, settling on what he considered to be the only explanation for Daniel's information.

'No it wasn't a vision, or a dream, or a hallucination. It was…' Daniel stopped momentarily as the nurse pulled on the bandage, 'real. Now I know this is hard for you guys to believe but I swear to you the entire time you thought I had disappeared on P3R233 I was experiencing an alternate reality.'

'And you were there and you were there and there's no place like home.' Jack said, gently mocking Daniel.

'As a matter of fact you were there!' Daniel said frustrated at their scepticism.

'Daniel, it's not that we don't believe you.' Sam began and stopped, wondering how she finished.

'So you do?' Daniel asked hopefully. If there was one person who he figured might believe it, it was Sam.

'No,' Jack said, 'it's just that,' he sighed, rubbing his hands together, 'we don't believe you.'

'Jack, this is very important.' Daniel said firmly.

'Alright,' Sam said, trying to make sense of it, 'Daniel, when you were in this alternate reality, were there differences?'

'Yes.' Daniel said eagerly. 'Ah…Teal'c was leading the attack on Earth, I wasn't even part of the programme, you and Jack were engaged to be married…'

'Excuse me?'

'What?'

Jack and Sam almost spoke together.

Oops, Daniel thought as his two friends exchanged a stunned look. There was no doubt in Daniel's mind that the two of them were attracted to each other but both Jack and Sam had seemingly chosen to ignore it because of their military positions. Daniel respected their decision and he hadn't deliberately meant to bring the topic up…subconsciously though…

'OK,' Sam said pushing Daniel's comment to the back of her mind and focusing on the problem, 'even if you did actually experience this alternate reality, doesn't the very fact that there were differences mean that we won't face the same fate?'

'Yes but the defining event, the death of Ra, took place in both worlds.' Daniel said passionately.

'An attack of retribution.' Teal'c surmised. The Goa'uld hated each other it was true but they wouldn't stand for lowly humans eliminating one of their own kind.

'Yes!' Daniel said. 'And the same thing is going to happen here unless we stop it.'

Jack hadn't been listening; his mind was stuck on one thing. 'Alright. Wait a minute. Let me get something straight here.' He waved between himself and Sam. 'Engaged?' He couldn't quite work that one out; he was her CO. How was that possible?

Sam whirled round to face him a little taken aback by his complete disbelief in the idea. Well, not that she'd needed proof that he didn't see her like that, but it seemed she definitely had it now. 'It is theoretically possible.' She said defensively.

'It's against regulations.' Jack reminded her. He should know; he'd thought about it often enough.

She glared at him. 'I'm talking physics, sir.' She whirled away and began to talk about the scientific theory of alternate realities.

Jack looked down at the floor. He had a feeling he'd upset her but why? It wasn't like she was interested in him. He didn't know what to make of her reaction; hell, he hardly knew what to make of his own reaction…how had some alternate him managed to get Sam to agree to marry him? And what had they done about the regulations?

'I thought you might all be here.' The Texan accent of General Hammond had Jack sliding off the bed to face his CO as Sam responded to the General's query on Daniel. Less welcome was the sight of the officer standing behind Hammond. Major…or rather, as the guy corrected Sam a little pompously, Lieutenant Colonel Samuels.

'You'll always be Sparky to me.' Jack said, smiling irreverently at the other man with his slicked back black hair and smarmy manner.

'I thought you'd been transferred to the Pentagon, sir.' Sam said and Jack marvelled at her ability to ask what the hell Samuels was doing at the SGC in such a camouflaged way.

'I was. Stargate mission analysis. I'm here today, of course, for the hearing.' Samuels said.

Jack looked over at Hammond who was going an interesting shade of red and back to Samuels. 'Hearing?'

Samuels frowned. 'Senator Kinsey. The Stargate programme. I thought you were going to testify.'

'They will.' Hammond said firmly. 'SG1 just returned from a mission last night. I haven't had the chance to inform them.'

'Well perhaps I shouldn't say too much more.' Samuels said, acting like he'd accidentally let some huge secret out of the bag.

'Oh, cut the crap, Samuels,' Jack said irritated at the dramatics, 'what's going on?'

'Senator Kinsey has taken a great deal of interest in the programme and thus far he hasn't liked what he's seen.'

'Sorry to hear that.' Jack said insincerely. Politicians, he thought derisively, what did they know? It took him a minute to realise Samuels was still talking.

'…it could mean the end of the Stargate.'

Jack glared at him as Samuels enjoyed the shocked reactions of the SG1 team and made his excuses to leave after noting he'd see them at the hearing.

Hammond sighed deeply a Samuels departed. 'I'm sorry you had to hear that from him. I had every intention of telling you myself this morning.'

'That's OK, sir.' Sam said comfortingly.

Hammond gave her a grateful smile.

'Is he right?' Daniel asked. 'Are they going to shut down the programme?'

The General sighed. 'I hope not, Doctor Jackson.' His pale blue eyes landed on the white bandage on the archaeologist's arm. 'I'm glad to see you're back safely and in one piece.'

'General, we can't let them shut the programme down.' Daniel said passionately. 'I mean, not now, not after…'

'Daniel.' Jack interrupted him and gave him a quick shake of his head. It wasn't the moment to mention alternate realities.

'If you'll excuse me, I have a call to make.' Hammond said. 'I'm still hoping this hearing won't go ahead. I'll see you in an hour for your debriefing.'

He left the SG1 stunned team in the infirmary room looking at each other in shock.

'Jack,' Daniel began.

'I know, Daniel.' Jack rubbed his face thoughtfully.

'If what happened in the other reality happens to us…' Daniel persisted.

'Daniel.' His sharp tone had the archaeologist subsiding. Jack sighed and looked over at Sam who gazed back at him worriedly. 'I'll go talk with the General.' He said reassuringly. 'See if we can't straighten this whole thing out.'

His team looked at him encouragingly and Jack spun on his heel to head out after Hammond; with any luck he could catch him at the elevator. Hearings with politicians and the Stargate programme under threat? He sighed deeply; maybe _he_ was in the wrong reality.


	20. Hope

**Author's Note: **Daniel/Team friendship. Mild Sam/Jack.

**Politics Recap:** _SG1 testifies to Senator Kinsey, the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee about the Stargate programme. Unfortunately, the Senator has already become fixed on a negative view of the Stargate, thanks to his own religious beliefs and __Hammond__'s ex-XO Lieutenant Col. Samuels. Despite Daniel's warning of the Goa'uld attack he witnessed in the alternate reality (There But for the Grace of God), Teal'c's testimony of the capabilities of the Goa'uld, and the impassioned pleas of Jack and Sam, Kinsey is not swayed and will not approve budget for the SGC. __Hammond__ tells SG1 that as soon as the remaining off-world teams return, the Stargate will be shut-down… _

**Hope **

'They're closing the Stargate programme.' There was an overtone of disbelief in Daniel Jackson's voice as though the reality was still to sink in fully.

'They're what!' Catherine Langford's startled reply and the clatter as she put down the china teapot in shock had the archaeologist turning from the drawing room window of her New York home to look at her and the elderly man sat next to her on the Queen Anne couch.

'They're closing the Stargate programme.' Daniel repeated.

Catherine regarded Daniel for a long moment; his blue eyes were churning with upset, his high cheekbones were flushed red and his floppy hair was askew as though he had run his hands through it several times. She patted the chair next to her. 'Come and sit down, Daniel.'

He followed her instruction a little reluctantly as she resumed pouring the tea.

'Why are they closing the programme?' Ernest Littlefield asked as he accepted his china tea-cup and saucer. He owed his return to Earth to the Stargate programme. He had gone through the Stargate during experiments in the 1940s but the planet he had landed on had no working DHD and he'd been stuck until Daniel and the rest of SG1 had turned up with Catherine to rescue him a few months before.

'Senator Kinsey's decided we're too expensive.' Daniel said bitterly. 'That and we don't fit in with his religious ideology.' He took a sip of the tea and wished it was coffee.

'But how has Kinsey got the power to shut down the Stargate?' Ernest pressed.

'He's the head of the Senate Appropriations Committee.' Catherine explained before Daniel could reply. 'He has to approve the budget.' She pursed her lips. 'I never did like him.'

'Then you know who he is?' Daniel checked a little surprised.

'I spent a lot of time in Washington when I was trying to get the Stargate programme up and running.' Catherine reminded him.

'Actually, that's why I'm here.' Daniel placed his tea back on the small mahogany coffee table and looked at her beseechingly. 'I was hoping you might be able to do something.'

'Me?' Catherine's dark eyes widened. She gave a short humourless laugh. 'Daniel, my Washington connections are mostly long gone. I have less influence now then I ever did in regards to the Stargate.'

'But surely you must know someone?' Daniel insisted passionately. 'They'd listen to you.'

'What about General Hammond?' Catherine asked hoping to divert him.

'He left for Washington right after the decision.' Daniel admitted. 'We haven't heard anything from him since.'

'The General's a good man and he's well-connected.' Catherine said comfortingly. 'I'm sure he's doing all he can.'

'It's not enough!' Daniel said sharply. He lurched out of his chair and paced back to the window.

Catherine and Ernest exchanged a worried look.

'What's really going on Daniel?' Catherine asked.

Daniel stuffed his hands in his pants pockets. He knew he needed to apologise for his outburst but his frustration seemed to stifle the words in his throat.

'There's more to this than them closing the Stargate isn't there?' Catherine probed gently.

Daniel sighed and extracted one of his hands to run it carelessly through his hair. 'You wouldn't believe me if I told you.'

'Try us.' Ernest said.

The younger man glanced over his shoulder at the elderly couple looking back at him encouragingly.

'I think you'll find us an understanding pair.' Ernest said his eyes twinkling at the archaeologist.

There was a moment's silence as Daniel seemed to weigh his decision before he slowly walked back to his chair and lowered himself into it. He leaned forward eagerly. 'Four days ago, we had a mission to P3R233. We went through the gate as normal and found an abandoned building on the other side. There was a room filled with artefacts from all kinds of different civilisations and there was this mirror.'

'A mirror?' Catherine checked she'd heard correctly.

'Yes. Kind of. Not really.' Daniel amended. He waved his hands. 'It was made of the same material the Stargate is made from and it had a remote control device that seemed to switch it on. I picked up the device and that's when I noticed the mirror but I couldn't see my reflection.'

'Odd.' Catherine commented.

Daniel nodded and adjusted his glasses. 'I touched it. I thought I'd just got a small electrical shock but suddenly I found myself on PR3233 alone.'

'You didn't wonder what happened to the rest of your team?' Catherine asked surprised.

'Well, no.' Daniel admitted. 'Jack wanted us to leave and I figured he'd gotten tired of waiting and left without me.' He paused for a moment as though realising for the first time the unlikelihood of that happening; Jack never left people behind, never. He sighed and continued. 'I dialled home, went through the wormhole and…' he hesitated as his eyes shyly met their curious gazes, 'and entered a completely screwed up version of the SGC.'

'Screwed up?' Catherine put her cup down and pinned him with a frank gaze. 'How?'

'They had no idea who I was.' Daniel said, his blue eyes clouding at the memory. 'General Hammond wasn't in charge; he was a Colonel. I got taken into custody and then,' his eyes returned to Catherine's face, 'you came to question me.'

Catherine's mouth gaped open and she snapped it shut. She could see Daniel's lurking fear that they wouldn't believe his story in his anxious expression.

'Go on.' Ernest urged gently.

'You…or rather this other Catherine told me I'd refused the job translating the cartouche and I wasn't a member of the programme. It wasn't until I mentioned Ernest,' his eyes flickered to the older man in silent gratitude, 'that she finally started to pay attention to me.' He gestured. 'She took me to see Jack. Only it wasn't my Jack.' He took a sip of his drink absently unaware of Catherine's and Ernest's gentle amusement at his claiming Jack as his.

'Jack was a General. He was running the SGC.' Daniel said with a frown. '_He_ only started paying attention to me when I threw Charlie in his face.' He sighed. He'd hated using the knowledge to get to Jack and could clearly remember the pain he had caused the other man. He shook his head. 'And then I found out.'

'What?' Catherine and Ernest asked simultaneously.

Daniel set his cup back down and met their eyes again. 'That the Earth was in the middle of an attack from the Goa'uld.' He saw the gravity of his statement register on their faces. 'They were destroying whole cities from orbit; they were just burning Earth to the ground.'

He rose and walked with his hands back in his pockets back to the window. He stared out at the garden beyond sightlessly. 'They were evacuating people through the gate but it was never going to be enough and then the Goa'uld established an incoming wormhole and the mountain came under attack.' He swallowed past the upsurge of emotion as he remembered the ground shaking as the ship had landed atop the base and focused on telling the rest of his story. 'By that time, we'd worked out that I was in an alternate reality.'

'The Stargate wasn't designed to transport matter inter-dimensionally.' Ernest protested. 'Only to create a gateway through time and space.'

'The mirror.' Catherine concluded.

'Of course.' Ernest smiled at her. 'The mirror must have been designed by the same people who designed the Stargate.'

'Maybe.' Daniel admitted, spinning back round to them. He couldn't believe they had accepted the idea so readily but then Ernest and Catherine had both been scholars for longer than he had been alive…

'Sorry, Daniel.' Catherine said. 'We've got a little off track.'

Daniel smiled at her sadly. 'There's not too much else to tell.' He motioned with one of his hands. 'They showed me a message they had received from P3R233. It said 'beware the destroyers, they come from…' and gave a gate address.'

'They knew the origin of the Goa'uld attack.' Catherine surmised.

'Yes!' Daniel agreed with her as he sat back down. 'I knew if I could get the coordinates back here…'

'You could stop the attack in this reality.' Ernest said quietly.

Daniel nodded. He fidgeted with his glasses. 'I…I convinced the other Jack, Sam and Catherine to help me try and return to P3R233. Jack went to talk to Teal'c who was leading the attack to buy us some time before the wormhole destabilised and we could dial out.' He saw Catherine's surprise. 'Teal'c had never met Jack in the other reality; he'd never come over to our side.' He looked down at his hands. 'They all died giving me the opportunity to come back.'

'Daniel.' Ernest said gently. 'That's not true. If the Goa'uld were attacking as you say, they were likely dead anyway.'

'Ernest's right.' Catherine said firmly. 'You shouldn't blame yourself.'

The younger man flushed. 'I made it through the wormhole back to P3R233, touched the mirror again and…' he gestured, 'came home to find the Stargate programme was under threat.' He shook his head as he took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.

'And you've told them this?' Catherine asked.

He laughed derisively as he replaced his glasses on his nose. 'Nobody believes me. Kinsey thought I'd made the whole thing up as some last ditch attempt to change his mind.' He sighed again and looked up at the couple to find them gazing back at him with worry and understanding.

'What about your team?' Catherine's hand had somehow found its way into Ernest's; a silent physical gesture of support.

Daniel picked his cup up and took a large gulp of the lukewarm liquid. 'Teal'c believes the idea of an attack is possible but I think the alternate reality stuff is just too big a step for him to take.' His fingers tapped against the china restlessly. 'Sam, on the other hand, I think wants to believe the alternate reality happened but doesn't want to believe the attack will happen here.'

'And Jack?' Catherine prompted.

'And Jack doesn't want to believe any of it.' Daniel said disgustedly. 'He's doing the mental equivalent of sticking his fingers in his ears and hoping it all goes away.'

'I'm sure that's not true.' Catherine rebuked him softly.

'No…' Daniel admitted a little reluctantly, 'he's doing what he can to try and look after us with the Stargate programme shutting down but…he definitely doesn't believe me about the alternate reality.' He cleared his throat. 'I think his exact words were if I brought it up again he'd shoot me himself.'

'It's a lot for anyone to get their heads around.' Catherine noted.

'You and Ernest seem to have done fine.' Daniel pointed out.

The elderly couple looked at each with a smile.

'I lived most of my life on another planet.' Ernest said.

'And after we found Ernest, I swore nothing would surprise me again.' Catherine added.

'Not to mention that we're old.' Ernest said with a laugh.

'I wish…' Daniel broke off the sentence and flung his arms out. 'I just…I feel like I owe them – the other Sam, Jack, you, even Teal'c. They spent the last moments of their lives working to save me, to save us, to give us a chance and now we're just going to throw that chance a way.'

'You have to convince your team.' Ernest said. 'They'll help you.'

'How?' Daniel asked plaintively. 'I've tried…'

'Daniel,' Catherine broke in quietly but insistently as she reached over and took his hand, 'in the other reality you convinced a version of your team who didn't know you at all to help you.' Her dark eyes held his firmly. 'What makes you think you can't convince the team who do know and respect you in this reality to do the same?'

Daniel had to look away from her.

'Go back and talk to them again.' Catherine urged. 'Trust them to do the right thing.'

'Trust yourself.' Ernest adjoined.

Daniel nodded slowly. He pushed his glasses up his nose and squeezed Catherine's hand. 'Thank you. Both of you.'

Catherine smiled at him warmly. She let go of his hand and patted his knee. 'Now finish your tea.'

An hour later, she watched from the window as Daniel got into the yellow taxi to take him to the airport. She felt Ernest's arms slide around her waist.

'Do you think in some other reality we were lucky enough to have a son like Daniel?' Catherine asked idly.

'I do.' Ernest said. 'But I like to think Daniel is ours in some small way in this reality.'

Catherine smiled at the sentiment.

'Do you think he's right?' He asked. 'That there will be a Goa'uld attack?'

Catherine sighed. 'For once I sincerely hope Daniel isn't right.' And if he was…well, she only hoped his team would be there for him.

o-O-o

Captain Samantha Carter stared at the words on the paper in front of her as though staring at them alone could change them somehow. The sharp rap on her lab door finally broke her concentration and she straightened at the sight of her CO, Colonel Jack O'Neill in the doorway. 'Sir.'

'Carter.' Jack sauntered in casually looking at the myriad of boxes around the room with a frown.

'Packing, sir.' Sam explained at the unasked question in his brown eyes.

'Ah.' Jack sighed heavily. He pushed his hands in the pockets of his BDU pants and looked over at her. The young blonde Air Force officer looked as depressed as he felt. The hearing with Kinsey and the subsequent decision to shutdown the programme had rocked them all. He caught sight of the papers in front of her. 'So, those would be…?'

'My new orders.' Sam confirmed.

Jack slid onto a stool and gestured at her. 'What'd ya get?'

Sam looked at him curiously. As her CO she knew he would have been informed. 'Nellis. Stargate R&D.' She made a face.

'I thought that would be right up your street, Carter.' Jack said surprised at her reaction.

'It's not exactly going to other planets and fighting alien bad guys.' Sam muttered.

He smiled recognising her description from a conversation they'd had once.

She cleared her throat. 'What about you, Colonel?'

Jack fidgeted reaching for the nearest object on the lab bench. 'Pentagon.' He admitted as though embarrassed. 'They're setting up a taskforce to look at ways we can defend ourselves against the Goa'uld without going through the Stargate. I thought I should stick around a while longer and help out with that.'

'Sounds interesting.' Sam said enviously. Why couldn't she have got that, she grumbled inwardly as she focused on folding her orders very precisely.

'I'm glad you think so because we'll be working with you R&D guys to come up with…' Jack waved his hand, 'stuff.'

Sam's eyes jerked up to his. 'Really?'

'Sure.' Jack said. 'Let's face it, Carter. Unless we find a way of defending ourselves with the technology we have managed to bring back through the gate, we've got no way of defending ourselves against the Goa'uld when they come.' He paused. 'It's the only reason why I agreed to let you go to R&D instead of being on the taskforce. I figure if anyone can come up with something to help us, it's you.'

Sam blinked. 'You…you…' She stumbled over her words and blushed at his amused expression.

'Well, this is something I thought I'd never see;' Jack teased, 'Samantha Carter lost for words.'

'It's just…' Sam struggled to put into words how much his confidence in her meant to her. 'Thank you, sir.' She said eventually smiling at him.

He smiled back. They'd come along way since their initial meeting in the briefing room, Jack mused. Back then, he hadn't wanted a scientist on his team; now he couldn't imagine not working with her every day. As much as he was a military man and he was used to changing personnel and changing assignments, he knew he was going to miss her and the rest of the team. At least with Sam he knew he'd still get to see her once in a while and he wouldn't be her CO. Maybe he could even ask her out on a date…he frowned at the last thought that had sneaked in. 'Well, I'd better…' he gestured at the door.

Sam nodded.

'Unless you want me to stick around here and help you pack.' Jack asked, waving at the boxes.

She was about to refuse, her usual automatic response of being able to do things herself kicking in, when she stopped and considered his offer. 'Actually, sir, that would be great.'

He looked a little taken aback.

'Unless you have something else to do.' She hurried out.

'No, no.' Jack hastened to assure her. 'I'm all yours.'

If only, Sam thought, lowering her eyes and missing Jack's reaction as his brown eyes widened slightly at his unintentional admission. 'Well,' she slipped off her stool and he followed her to the other side of the lab, 'all these need wrapping in bubble wrap and putting in these boxes here.'

Jack looked at the array of technological devices. 'Do I want to know what these all do?'

'If you want me to, I can describe them each in detail.' Sam offered tongue firmly planted in cheek.

'Thank you, Carter, but no.' Jack said reaching for the tube of bubble wrap.

They worked harmoniously for a few minutes before Jack glanced over and saw her frowning at one particular conical device that she was turning over in her hands. 'You're not wrapping, Carter.'

Sam's head snapped up. 'Sorry, sir.'

'So what're ya thinking about?' Jack asked casually.

'What makes you think…' Sam didn't get to finish the rest of the sentence as he threw her a knowing look. 'Right.' She muttered.

'So?' Jack prompted.

'When we were talking before, you said we'd need to create something from the technology we've found if we were going to have any chance when the Goa'uld came.'

'Right.' Jack nodded momentarily distracted as he pressed down on the bubble wrap and it popped satisfactorily.

'You said when, not if.' Sam said. 'Do you think Daniel's right, sir?'

Jack looked up at her and sighed. He gestured at her as he turned around to lean back on the lab bench and crossed his arms. 'You know more about that alternate reality stuff than me. What do you think?'

Sam lowered the device she held back to the bench as she turned to face him fully. 'I believe alternate realities are certainly theoretically possible given what we know of the physics.' She said slowly.

'And travelling to one?' Jack asked, his scepticism evident in his tone.

She frowned. 'Well, theoretically, it's not too much of a stretch to believe that if they do exist then there must be a way to traverse between them.'

He could almost see the gears in her brain beginning to examine the complicated physics behind such a notion.

'I mean, an advanced alien race may well have figured out how to travel between realities just like they figured out how to create wormholes and travel the stars.' Sam continued. She paused. 'I'd love to get my hands on that mirror Daniel mentioned. If it really is made up of the same element as the gate…' she sighed and looked at him again. 'Without the mirror or the control device Daniel mentioned we may never know for certain, sir, if you're looking for definitive proof.' She scanned his expression. 'Do you think Daniel travelled to another reality?'

'I believe Daniel believes he travelled to another reality.' He allowed.

'Did you come to that conclusion before or after you threatened to shoot him, sir?' Sam asked amused.

Jack glared at her before he conceded she had a point and his gaze shifted to the ceiling. 'After.' He sighed. 'Have you actually seen Daniel recently?' He asked, diverting the topic a little.

'No.' Sam shook her head. 'Not since the day before yesterday.'

'Me either.' He picked up a metal box-shaped device before her hand snaked across the space between them and relieved him of it.

'You know even if Daniel did travel to another reality, there's no reason to think what happened there would happen here.' Sam argued.

'Actually, Carter,' Jack said quietly, 'that's the one part of Daniel's story I do believe.'

'As do I.'

They both turned to see the small doorway filled with Jaffa.

'Teal'c.' Jack waved him in.

'You are discussing Daniel Jackson's visit to the alternate reality.' Teal'c stated as he moved to stand next to his team-mates.

'We were.' Jack confirmed.

'So you believe Daniel travelled to another reality, Teal'c?' Sam said picking up on the Jaffa's phrasing.

'I do,' Teal'c said, 'and I believe his assertion that the Goa'uld are most likely planning an attack of retribution on your world.'

'But why?' Sam asked. 'Daniel described a number of differences between that reality and this one in his debriefing,' her eyes briefly met the Colonel's and looked away again, neither of them mentioning their engagement in the other reality, 'so it's possible the attack wouldn't happen here.'

'Didn't Daniel say that the…' Jack searched for the form of words Daniel had used and came up blank.

'Defining event, O'Neill.' Teal'c supplied.

'Defining event was the same?' Jack waved his hand. 'And even if they weren't coming after us for Ra, I'm pretty sure we've pissed the Goa'uld off just as much here as in that other reality.'

Sam sighed and wrapped her arms around her torso. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew he was right. 'So, if we really believe the Goa'uld are going to attack shouldn't we be doing something now?'

'Like what?' Jack asked.

'We should endeavour to stop the closure of the Stargate programme.' Teal'c said.

Jack sighed and opened his mouth to reply when the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps had them all turning towards the door.

Daniel almost ran into the lab. 'Sam, have you seen…' He stopped suddenly seeing the rest of SG1 looking back at him and not just the lone Air Force Captain he had expected. 'Oh good.' He pushed his glasses up his nose. 'You're all here.'

Jack straightened. 'Look, Daniel, before you start…'

'No, Jack. You have to listen to me.' Daniel said urgently, gesturing furiously. 'Now I know you don't believe me about the other reality but I really did go there and because I went there, I've seen what can happen and…'

'Daniel.' Jack tried to break into the impassioned speech.

'…your counterparts all spent the last few minutes of their lives helping me, to give me a chance to stop it and now I have that chance and I owe it to them not to waste it. I have to stop what happened there from happening here but I need your help.' He stopped and took a breath as his blue eyes met Jack's. 'We have to stop them from shutting down the Stargate.'

'We agree.' Jack said simply holding Daniel's fierce blue gaze.

'You…you agree?' Daniel repeated incredulous. He looked around and saw all of his team-mates looking back at him squarely. 'Then you believe me?'

Jack winced visibly and Daniel glared at him.

'The question is how do we stop them shutting down the Stargate?' Sam asked quickly before either of the men could get into a debate on alternate realities.

'We tried at the hearing.' Jack pointed out. 'It didn't go so well.'

Teal'c cocked his head and raised his eyebrow.

'If we could only have gotten Senator Kinsey to listen to our side of it.' Sam complained.

'He was never going to listen to us.' Daniel said quietly.

'Especially after that jackass Samuels poisoned him against us.' Sam muttered. Her eyes widened at her team-mates' surprise; Jack's shock quickly giving way to an appreciative grin. 'Sorry, sir,' she apologised, 'did I say that out loud?'

'I didn't hear a thing, Captain.' Jack assured her swiftly. Her comments could be construed as disrespecting a senior officer but he fully agreed with sentiments.

'Neither did I.' Daniel affirmed loyally.

'Nor I, Captain Carter.' Teal'c said.

There was a shared moment of humour amongst the four.

Daniel sighed heavily. 'There must be something we can do.'

'I could shoot Kinsey.' Jack suggested only half-joking.

'Is that not a risky strategy, O'Neill?' Teal'c asked.

'He wasn't serious, Teal'c.' Daniel said. He paused and looked at Jack worriedly. 'You weren't serious, were you?'

'No.' Jack admitted with a sigh. 'But it's a thought.'

Daniel shoved his hand through his hair. 'I can't believe I'm going to watch it happen again.'

'Daniel…' Jack's voice held a note of warning. He really wasn't in the mood for the 'I travelled to another reality story' again.

'I know you don't believe me, Jack, but it happened,' Daniel insisted passionately, 'and it's going to happen again here.'

'What do you want us to do, Daniel?' Jack asked sharply. 'Carter's right. Kinsey came in here with his mind already made up by Samuels. Nothing we can say is going to make a difference.'

'So we're just going to give up and let them bury the gate?' Daniel almost shouted.

'No.' Jack shot back. 'We're not giving up.' He looked around at his small team who were all looking back at him expectantly. He pushed off the bench he was resting on. 'Come on. Let's go talk to Hammond.'

'Why?' asked Daniel following him out of the lab.

'Because, Daniel.' Jack snapped back. He slapped the call button for the elevator and was pleased when the doors immediately opened.

'General Hammond got back from Washington this morning.' Sam explained as they all piled into the small space. 'He might have some ideas on what else we can try to save the programme.'

'You really think so?' Daniel asked hopefully.

Jack shifted uncomfortably. He had a feeling Hammond had already tried and failed to save the programme but it was worth having the conversation with the General; he'd rather they had the other man on their side. 'Let's just see what he's got to say.' He muttered.

'Maybe we shouldn't all go.' Sam said nervously.

Jack looked over at her to see her looking back at him.

'It might work better as a one to one conversation, sir.' Sam pointed out.

Jack sighed. 'I'll do it.' He reached forward and pressed another button on the floor panel. 'You guys can wait for me in the control room.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam said.

The elevator slid to a stop.

Daniel stopped Jack as he made to get out. His worried blue eyes met the Colonel's. 'Good luck, Jack.'

Jack nodded and left them to continue the journey downwards. They made their way to the control room in silence. Sam took the only chair as Teal'c perched on a side table and a restless Daniel paced, his mind whirling.

They had to find someway of stopping the Goa'uld attack, Daniel thought, even if they couldn't prevent the Stargate programme from closing. He sighed and stopped pacing to look momentarily at his team-mates. At least he didn't feel he was alone anymore, he mused. His team were with him, trying to help him despite their opinions about whether he had really travelled to an alternate reality or not. They might need a little more prompting but they would come up with a plan, he was sure of it. Hope flooded him for a moment and stole his breath. They were the only hope he had left, he realised; and more importantly, they were the only hope Earth had left.


	21. Welcome Back SG1

**Author's Note:** Team friendship. Mild Sam/Jack.

**Within the Serpent's Grasp/In the Serpent's Lair Recap:** _After Hammond confirms to Jack that the Stargate is being shut down for good, SG1 decide to act against their orders and go to the coordinates Daniel obtained in his trip to the alternate universe. They arrive on a ship headed for Earth which is being commanded by Klorel, Apophis's son and the Goa'uld inhabiting Skaara. An attempt to grab Klorel goes badly wrong with Teal'c and Jack getting captured. They are rescued by Sam and Daniel but during the rescue Jack has to kill Skaara to save Daniel. Jack has no time to come to terms with it; the ship has arrived in Earth's solar system. They prepare to blow the ship with C4 but suddenly another ship appears; it's Apophis's. As they try to think of a way to destroy both, they are captured again. _

_They wake in the brig and it seems hopeless until Bra'tac arrives to help them. He informs them the attack on Earth has been delayed while Klorel is in the sarcophagus. They know their ship will be destroyed with the C4 which is on an automatic timer so determine that they have to get to the other one to destroy it too. They manage to take Klorel hostage but Daniel is badly injured and tells Jack to leave him behind. The others use the ring transporters to travel to Apophis's ship where Bra'tac destroys the control console. They take out the shield generators knowing it will make the ship vulnerable to the explosion of the other one and head to the glider bay. _

_Apophis and Klorel ring out as Apophis realises what will happen. Daniel, meanwhile, has placed himself in the sarcophagus, and on awakening runs to the ship's Stargate. He dials out, leaving the ship just as it explodes. He arrives back in the SGC much to General Hammond's relief although he asks where the rest of the team are. The rest of SG1 and Bra'tac are in the gliders they used to escape above Earth and are rescued by the shuttle Endeavour. When they all arrive back at the SGC, they are given a rapturous welcome and are happily reunited with Daniel. _

**Welcome Back SG1 **

Jack O'Neill was in a good mood. He sat in the commissary with the rest of SG1, just eating cake and listening to their chatter. If he was honest, he wasn't paying much attention; he was happy to let the words wash over him and marvel in the wonder that they had all made it back from their mission to stop the Goa'uld attack on Earth. His warm brown eyes landed on Daniel Jackson across the table who was animatedly asking questions about their escape – Daniel had been separated from them at the end of the mission; presumed dead.

The archaeologist seemed to have nine lives, Jack thought fondly. There was no doubt Daniel had been fatally wounded and would have died without the healing powers of the sarcophagus. There was also no doubt it had been hard for Jack to leave his friend to die and continue with the mission. He had lost men in the field before but when Daniel had been hit, it had felt like Jack himself had taken a sucker-punch. The image of the younger man propped up against the ornate gold wall, his torso ripped apart by the blast from the fatal staff wound jumped back into Jack's head before he could stop it and he almost choked on the chocolate cake which turned to dust in his throat. He coughed and hurriedly reached for his water.

'You OK, sir?' Samantha Carter's concern swept over him and he nodded swiftly as he took a sip of liquid. Her blue eyes looked sceptically back at him but when he smiled in reassurance, her lips curved in response before she continued telling Daniel about the gliders.

Jack let his gaze linger on her for a long moment. She had been outstanding on the mission; a good soldier, a vital part of the team. If it hadn't been for her, it was unlikely that they would have found a way from the gliders into the shuttle to return to Earth. It had been a big risk for the young Air Force Captain to disregard her standing orders and agree to the mission; Jack was determined to ensure that she was protected from any fallout, just as he was determined that his own growing attraction to her would never harm her career or reputation either.

His attraction to Sam was his problem, he reminded himself for the umpteenth time. So long as she remained under his command, she would never have to know about it. He forked up the last of his cake as his mind drifted back to the gate room earlier when he had been unable to resist hugging her in the midst of their jubilation after being reunited with Daniel. She had seemed a little surprised but had returned it whole-heartedly. It had been a moment of weakness, he thought defensively but they had been surrounded by the other SG teams all congratulating them, clapping them on the back, hugging them even, and he didn't think anyone had really noticed except maybe Teal'c.

The Jaffa had somehow managed to have one arm around Jack's shoulder's and the other around Daniel's at the moment when Hammond had reappeared. It had made the fact that Jack had still had his own arm around Sam less obvious. Jack wondered if Teal'c had done it deliberately. If he had, the big guy was keeping it to himself.

The Jaffa sat across from Jack and was quietly making quick work of a large pie; not just a slice but the whole pie. Jack shook his head fondly. Teal'c had really come through for them on the mission. It couldn't be easy for him going up against his former God but he had done it to save Earth and help his friends. Jack knew Teal'c was already missing Bra'tac; the older Jaffa had already left for Chulak. He scraped his plate clean and reached for his water again, absently tuning back into the conversation.

'…and that's when I realised I could use Earth as the point of origin.' Daniel waved his fork in the air; most of the pie he had chosen was still on his plate.

'Amazing.' Sam shook her head and gestured with a spoonful of blue jello. 'You took a big risk gating so close to the explosion. If the force of the blast had affected the wormhole…'

'I know.' Daniel smiled wryly. 'But it was either that or get blown up so…' he shrugged as his blue eyes twinkled back at Sam.

'You do realise this is the fourth time you've come back from the dead.' Jack said lazily, gesturing at him.

'I didn't die, Jack.' Daniel sighed, sensing the teasing that was about to ensue.

'_We_ thought you were dead.' Jack pointed out, leaning forward.

'Yes, you only _thought_ I was dead.' Daniel rejoined. 'I was really alive.'

'He's right, sir.' Sam said, jumping to Daniel's defence and ignoring the light-hearted look of betrayal that the Colonel sent her. 'He's only really come back from the dead twice.'

'That's right,' Daniel nodded enthusiastically, 'once on Ra's ship and that time with the Nox.'

'And when you were with the fish guy.' Jack retorted.

'I didn't die then either.' Daniel said exasperated.

'Daniel Jackson is correct.' Teal'c said.

'You too Brutus?' Jack sighed dramatically and slumped back in his chair. 'Can't I have a little fun here with the spacemonkey?'

Teal'c arched his eyebrow. 'Who is Brutus?'

Daniel opened his mouth to reply when a discreet cough had their attention turning to the Airman stood by their table.

'Sorry to interrupt, sir, but General Hammond asked me to deliver this message to you.' The Airman handed a slip of paper to Jack who accepted it reluctantly. He dismissed the Airman absently as he turned over the paper in his hands.

'Aren't you going to read it?' Daniel asked, finally paying attention to his food.

Jack shot him a look but opened the slip up and read the contents. His brown eyes sobered and he looked at Sam with regret. 'We're to report at seventeen hundred hours to the briefing room for a disciplinary hearing.' Her blue eyes dimmed and he had to resist the urge to wrap his arms back around her.

'You're joking!' Daniel exclaimed around a mouthful of pie.

'Manners, Daniel,' Jack folded the paper up again, 'and no, this time, I'm not joking.'

Daniel swallowed hurriedly. 'But we saved the world!'

'Daniel,' Sam stepped in before Jack could, 'we knew this was a possibility when we took the mission.'

'But it's not fair.' Daniel said stubbornly. 'You shouldn't be punished for doing the right thing.'

'I concur.' Teal'c agreed.

'It might have been the right thing but we were acting against orders.' Sam said sadly.

'But…'

'She's right, Daniel.' Jack said firmly. He looked around at the despondent faces and sighed heavily. 'Look, it's pointless us speculating about it. We'll just have to attend the hearing and see what happens.'

Sam nodded. 'If you guys will excuse me, I should get ready.' She glanced at Jack who dismissed her with a sharp nod of his own.

'Jack.' Daniel said.

'Daniel.' Jack replied.

'We have to do something.' Daniel said passionately.

Jack looked at the glass of half-eaten jello Sam had left behind and felt the first stirrings of anger at the news. The paper crumpled in his hand. He stood up suddenly, shoving his chair back. 'I should get ready too. I'll see you guys later.'

He left before either Daniel or Teal'c could say another word.

Daniel looked at the Jaffa. 'We have to do something, Teal'c.'

Teal'c's fierce dark gaze met Daniel's. 'Indeed.'

o-O-o

Sam looked over the orders in her hand and leaned against her lab bench. They were the papers she had received before they had embarked on their mission to save the world. She figured that whatever happened at the hearing the orders were defunct. Her lab was a stark reminder of the base they had left; piled high with boxes and dust sheets over everything. Since their return, it seemed the base had become a bustling hive of activity again; the control room was up and running; personnel were arriving not departing and there was an almost tangible joy that permeated the corridors.

Sam sighed. At least General Hammond had given them the first few hours back to enjoy the celebrations. She folded the orders up neatly and replaced them in a box, her blue eyes flickering to the clock. Disciplinary hearing. The words replayed in her head and she shivered. She had understood the potential consequences when she had agreed to join the rest of the team on the mission, she told herself firmly. She was an Air Force officer, subject to regulations; she had known there would be repercussions for her and for Colonel O'Neill when they returned. Of course, neither she nor the Colonel had really expected to return from the mission; Daniel almost hadn't.

She could hardly believe that Daniel had recovered from the injury he had described but then she had seen the sarcophagus do some amazing things. She shook her head. She had been quietly devastated when the Colonel had told them Daniel was staying behind; had immediately understood the subtext but she'd had to suck it up and get on with the mission, only able to have a moment to deal with it once they had been drifting in their damaged gliders above Earth, facing death themselves. She had been so happy to see Daniel alive in the gate room; walking towards them almost shyly. She smiled; the poor guy had been hugged so hard by them all it was a wonder he didn't need the sarcophagus again.

Hugs. The Colonel had hugged her. She wondered absently if Daniel had to come back from the dead for the Colonel to hug her; the last time he had spontaneously hugged her had been when they had realised Daniel was alive after mistakenly leaving him with the fish alien, Nem. God, but the man knew how to give a hug, she thought. Her mind filled with the one he had given her in the gate room; how comforting it had felt. It had been something of a surprise. Although the Colonel treated her with the same easy informality as Daniel and Teal'c in the field, usually he maintained formality in front of other Air Force personnel and she couldn't say she didn't appreciate it. The rumours were bad enough without fuelling them especially since they had been stuck alone together in Antarctica. If she had a cent for every time someone made a joke about sharing body heat…

Sam leaned over and picked up an environmental monitor. It didn't help that the Antarctica experience had revealed how attracted she was to her CO, she thought grumpily. It was a crush, she told herself ruthlessly; she would get over it. She had to if she wanted to stay on SG1; that was if she had a place on SG1 after the disciplinary hearing. She figured the charges ranged from misuse of Air Force property to disobeying orders to being AWOL. Her eyes flickered back to the clock. She should start to make her way up to the briefing room.

A rap on the open door of the lab caught her attention and her eyes widened at the sight of her CO standing there. She took a guilty moment to appreciate the sight of him in dress blues before she hurriedly cleared her throat.

'Sir.' Sam straightened automatically.

'I thought you might want some company.' Jack said, rocking back on his heels. She was the only woman he knew who suited the dress blues, he thought as his brown gaze travelled over her.

'Thank you, sir.' Sam said. 'I appreciate it.'

He tilted his head toward the corridor and she moved past him to walk on ahead. They entered the elevator in silence and Jack pressed the button.

'So,' he began awkwardly, 'you ready for this?'

'We knew it was a possibility, sir.' Sam replied, artfully dodging the question.

Jack smiled knowingly before he pressed his lips together. 'Look, Sam…'

Her eyes shot to him with the unusual use of her first name.

'I want you to follow my lead.' Jack said firmly.

'Sir?' Sam looked at him bemused.

Jack shrugged awkwardly. 'There's no reason why this has to impact your career.' He'd already decided to tell Hammond he had ordered her to do the mission; had made her under duress; anything that would leave her record spotless. He hoped the General's personal relationship with the Carter family would sway him into believing him.

She stared at him for a long moment and he felt his heart pounding under her relentless regard.

'Sir,' Sam said finally, 'whatever it is you're planning, I can't let you do it.'

'You can't let me?' Jack repeated, his tone lightly mocking.

'No.' Sam insisted.

Jack took in her resolve. 'Sam, you're an exceptional officer but believe me when I say you don't need this kind of black mark on your record. I have a ton of them already; one more isn't going to make a difference. Let me do this.'

Sam held his gaze. 'Thank you, sir, but I made the decision to join the mission and I don't regret it. I'll live with the consequences.'

'Even if that means being busted in rank or your promotion chances being scuppered or prison time?' Jack asked bluntly.

She flinched but didn't back down. 'Even if, sir.'

He sighed. He shouldn't be surprised she hadn't gone for it, he thought amused if a little frustrated. He couldn't fault her wanting to take responsibility for her own actions; it was one of the qualities that made her an exceptional officer after all. He looked up at the floor indicator.

'So we're agreed, sir?' Sam prompted him.

Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and continued to stare upwards.

'Sir?'

He looked back over at her.

'Promise me you won't do anything stupid.' Sam blurted out frustrated.

Jack raised an eyebrow but nodded reluctantly. 'I won't do anything stupid.' He promised faithfully. And not doing something to prevent her career from getting ruined would be stupid, he thought smugly.

'Thank you, sir.' Sam said relieved. It was really sweet of him to try and protect her, she thought fondly.

'Thank me when this is over, Captain.' Jack said as the elevator doors slid open. He gestured for her to exit as she glanced at him suspiciously. He kept his expression bland and she moved into the corridor. They rounded the corner and entered the briefing room, stumbling to a halt.

Daniel and Teal'c stood by the observation window; Daniel was adjusting Teal'c's tie. Sam recognised the suit the Jaffa was wearing; she had bought it for Teal'c to wear to Daniel's wake a few months before. Daniel was wearing the only suit he owned and he had obviously managed to find a tie for himself; it didn't match the suit and it was knotted awkwardly; he was doing a better job with Teal'c's.

'What are you doing here?' Jack asked; his words harsh with surprise.

Daniel flipped Teal'c's tie and refused to look at Jack. 'What does it look like? I'm helping Teal'c with his tie.' He said facetiously.

'OK, let me rephrase that,' Jack said with exaggerated patience, 'what the _hell_ are you doing here?'

Daniel finished the knot and stepped back. He and Teal'c turned to face their team-mates. Sam looked stunned; Jack looked…well, pissed.

'We should be part of this.' Daniel said stubbornly folding his arms around his torso.

'No,' Jack contradicted him, 'you shouldn't.'

'The Colonel's right, Daniel.' Sam said. 'It's not that we don't appreciate the show of support but there's no reason why you should have to go through this.'

'Yes, there is.' Daniel argued. 'We're a team. If there's a disciplinary hearing, we should all be subject to it.'

'Dammit, Daniel, you could get thrown out of the programme!' Jack snapped. 'Teal'c could end up as a lab rat. Is that what you want?'

'Of course not!' Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose. 'And I don't honestly think it will come to that.'

'You don't?' Jack gestured at him passionately. 'The two of you should leave now.' He took in their resolute faces. 'That's an order.' He added.

'No.' Daniel said.

'No?' Jack's voice rose with incredulity.

'No.' Daniel repeated. 'We know you're trying to protect us but this is our choice.'

'Daniel Jackson is correct.' Teal'c added. 'You will not be able to alter our thoughts on this matter.'

Jack looked over at Sam who smiled in rueful amusement at him. He sighed deeply. 'It's 'change your minds' Teal'c.' He corrected gently. 'I will not be able to change your minds.'

'Indeed.' Teal'c said, clasping his hands behind his back.

Daniel smiled; he knew he'd won.

'So you really want to do this?' Jack asked.

'We made the decision to go as a team, Jack.' Daniel said firmly. 'We should do this as a team.'

Jack's brown eyes met Daniel's. 'As a team, huh?'

The archaeologist nodded.

'OK, then.' Jack looked at Sam briefly before his eyes moved to Teal'c and back to Daniel. 'As a team.'

The door to the General's office opened and Hammond strode out. He slowed to a surprised halt as he took in the four member of SG1 waiting. He gestured at Daniel and Teal'c. 'Doctor Jackson, Teal'c; you're not required to attend this hearing.'

'With respect, General Hammond, I think we are.' Daniel said fiercely. 'It's not right this is happening at all but if it is then we should be included to; we're all members of SG1.'

'And you both feel this way?' Hammond asked, his pale blue eyes settling on Teal'c.

'I am in agreement with Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c confirmed gruffly.

Hammond sighed and glanced at Jack who shrugged. He'd obviously lost the argument, Hammond determined, which didn't bode well for himself. He turned his attention back to the other two men. 'You do realise this is a disciplinary hearing related to charges being brought against Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter under the UCMJ in relation to their acting in breach of Air Force protocol and regulations?'

'Yes, General Hammond,' Daniel answered, 'we understand that.'

'And that there are potentially serious consequences associated with those charges including prison time?' Hammond pressed.

Daniel nodded.

'Teal'c?' Hammond prompted.

The Jaffa stared directly at the General. 'I stand by my friends, General Hammond.'

Hammond sighed again and waved at the chairs across the table. 'Take a seat.'

They all exchanged a worried glance but took their places as Hammond sat in the centre across the table from them, another Air Force officer slipped into the chair next to him to take the official minutes. Hammond took a moment to collect himself, and reviewed the serious faces looking back at him. Teal'c sat to the far left unmoving and stoic. Daniel sat beside him, a bundle of nervous energy, adjusting his glasses, his fingers tugging on the tie he wasn't used to wearing. Jack, next to him, was hardly any better. He had picked up a spare pencil on the briefing room table and was playing with it. Sam, by comparison, was almost as still as Teal'c; she sat upright, her posture picture perfect, her hands clasped on the table top. There was a symmetry to them; a bond that visibly ran through the four of them.

Hammond cleared his throat. 'Let me start by saying that I wish this hearing did not have to take place. There is no doubt in my mind that in taking the actions you did, you saved this world from annihilation. You are to be commended on your bravery, your skill and ingenuity, and your success.'

'Thank you, sir.' Jack said softly as Hammond took a breath.

The General nodded in acknowledgement. 'Unfortunately,' he continued, 'in activating the Stargate and travelling to the coordinates Daniel Jackson procured in the alternate universe,' he paused momentarily as though he couldn't quite believed he'd uttered those words in a sentence, 'you intentionally and wilfully acted against orders and broke a number of regulations to obtain weapons, explosives and the Stargate itself in executing your plan.' He laid his hands flat on the table. 'The discussion on what actions, if any, should be taken in regard to these matters has been held at the highest level with the President himself.'

He saw Jack visibly wince at the realisation that they had been discussed by the President; Sam paled.

'Unfortunately, despite their opinion that your actions undoubtedly saved us and their appreciation, the President and the Joint Chiefs feel that such actions cannot go completely unchallenged.' Hammond gestured at them. 'To do so would set a dangerous precedent.'

Jack and Sam nodded in understanding; Daniel simply scowled.

'However, given the extenuating circumstances,' Hammond said, 'it is the decision of the Joint Chiefs that no formal court martial should be held and that any disciplinary measures be set by the convening authority; me.' He looked at each of them. 'You are, of course, entitled to challenge that edict and request legal counsel as is your right.'

Jack glanced at Sam and at the others. Daniel gave a half-shrug. Jack turned back to Hammond. 'I think I speak for us all, General Hammond, when I say we'll accept your judgement.'

Hammond nodded. 'In that case we'll proceed with the formalities.' He accepted a sheet of paper. 'The charges are as follows;' he cleared his throat and began to list them.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow as the charges were reeled off by the General. It was a long list. He noticed that Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Sam seemed to pale further; obviously the young Captain hadn't considered some of the charges being brought. Daniel, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed and simply impatient.

Hammond finally placed the sheet on the table. 'Do you understand these charges?'

'I don't see why we're being charged with…' Daniel began.

'Daniel.' Jack's voice whipped through the air to the archaeologist. Daniel subsided unhappily. Jack straightened and gestured with the pencil. 'We understand the charges, sir.'

'In light of the extenuating circumstances and in agreement with the President and the Joint Chiefs, I am dismissing all charges save disobeying a direct order.' Hammond saw their faces brighten, and how they exchanged brief glances of relief, with carefully hidden amusement. 'Are you all prepared to accept my judgement on this charge?'

'Don't we get a chance to say whether we think we're guilty or innocent?' Daniel asked before Jack could speak.

'Sir,' Jack began.

'Jack, I'm only saying that we should get the chance to put our side of it.' Daniel argued.

'I'm agreeing with you.' Jack said.

Daniel blinked. 'You are?'

'I am.' Jack confirmed. He turned to Hammond and straightened in his chair. 'Sir, you should know that Captain Carter…'

'Colonel,' Sam tried to interrupt him.

'…was acting on my orders.' Jack finished ignoring her.

'Sir, Colonel O'Neill did not order me to take the mission.' Sam said furiously.

Hammond sighed. 'The question of…'

'Daniel and Teal'c will back me up, sir.' Jack said, refusing to look at Sam. 'Captain Carter should not be subject to the charge in question.' He nudged Daniel surreptitiously under the table and looked at him pointedly.

Daniel got what Jack was attempting to do immediately; he was trying to protect Sam just as he had tried to protect Daniel and Teal'c by keeping them out of the hearing. As much as he knew Sam wouldn't want the protection, he hurriedly confirmed Jack's assertion. 'Jack did order Sam to do the mission, General. He's right.'

'Daniel,' Sam began heatedly.

'Enough!' Hammond barked. His pale blue eyes scoured over them. 'As I was saying, the question of your guilt is already established; we have you all on video planning the mission in the control room.' His gaze met Jack's understandingly. 'Including Captain Carter's decision to undertake the mission.'

'Ah.' Jack tossed the pencil on the table.

Sam settled back in her chair and accepted the look of apology Jack threw in her direction.

'Are you prepared to accept my judgement on the charge of disobeying a direct order?' Hammond repeated.

'Yes, sir.' Sam replied as the others nodded.

'Good.' Hammond clasped his hands together. 'You are all restricted to base for the period of one week.'

There was a silence.

'That's it?' Daniel asked incredulous.

'Daniel.' Jack said warningly. He smiled at Hammond. 'Thank you, sir.'

'Don't thank me yet, Colonel.' Hammond remarked with a smile of his own. 'You're going to be busy during that week. The President has overruled Senator Kinsey and the Stargate programme is being awarded full funding. In addition, we're being asked to expand the number of SG teams we operate to enable us to continue with our previous mandate. You are all assigned to SG1 for the foreseeable future and there's going to be a lot for us to do to get back to full operational efficiency.'

They were all smiling at him, pleased with the mild punishment; happy at the news about the programme and at their continued existence as SG1. Hammond stood up and they followed rising to their feet.

'Dismissed.' Hammond said. Half-way to his office he turned back to his flagship team. 'Oh and before I forget…'

'Yes, sir?' Jack asked cheerfully.

Hammond smiled, his pale blue eyes twinkling. 'Welcome back, SG1.'


	22. The Damaged Trilogy

**Author's Note:** Story is in three parts. First part: Sam/Team friendship with mild Sam/Jack. Second part: Sam/Team friendship with mild Sam/Jack. Some references to violence. Third part: Emphasis on Sam/Teal'c and Sam/Jack friendships.

**In the Line of Duty Recap:** _SG1 is helping the Nasyans escape from a Goa'uld attack when Sam gets infested with a Goa'uld parasite as she attempts to give the kiss of life to a Nasyan man. She acts normal, if a little out of character, and passes the post medical check. It is only the next day when she visits with Cassie that the Goa'uld is discovered; a terrified Cassie eventually confiding in Jack. All of SG1 is devastated. Teal'c comforts Jack before the Colonel begins his interrogation of the Goa'uld but Jack is shaken when Sam seems to regain control and begs him not to leave her. The Goa'uld asks to speak to Teal'c and she informs him she is Tok'ra; Jolinar of Malkshur; Teal'c convinces Jack to revisit and she tells him that the she is being hunted by an Ashrak; a Goa'uld assassin. When Daniel visits her Jolinar begs for him to allow her to go through the gate claiming it is the only way to save his friend, Sam. When he refuses she tells him she knows where Sha're is in an attempt to persuade him. Jack is not convinced she knows anything and refuses to trust a Goa'uld. _

_Meanwhile, the Ashrak who had pretended to be one of the refugees escapes from the hospital and makes it onto the base. He shoots the guards and tries to kill Jolinar. He is interrupted from completing finishing by the arrival of security guards who he leads out of the room, claiming the guards and Sam are dead. Jack and Teal'c arrive hot on their heels; Jack checks Sam and finds she is still alive. They race to the infirmary but she is clearly dying and an emotional Jack wipes away a tear. _

_In the gate room, the Ashrak is recognised by Daniel who is immediately taken hostage. Jack sends Teal'c to help and he zats both the Ashrak and Daniel before killing the Ashrak. Back in the infirmary, the Goa'uld dies but Sam survives. She tells Jack that the Goa'uld died to save her. A traumatised Sam is later visited by Cassie and her healing begins. _

**The Damaged Trilogy**

**Part One: Damaged**

He had failed her. He had failed her and she had almost died. The thoughts kept repeating in Jack O'Neill's head like an endless broken record. His warm brown gaze was pinned to Samantha Carter's sleeping form as he simply watched her breathe. In and out. Alive. He thanked a God he hadn't prayed to for years and kept watching. The gentle fall and rise of the blankets reassured him. He hadn't lost her. She was alive and not a Goa'uld.

The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He hadn't wanted to believe Cassie when she had told him; had denied it all the way back to the base; had denied it right up to the moment it had turned on them in the gate room, Sam's startling blue eyes back-lit with the lightening flash that signalled the temper of the parasite and her voice distorted as it commanded them to open the gate.

It had terrified him.

Not the Goa'uld but that it was in Sam. He bowed his head. Sat alone in the locker room earlier he had replayed the moment on the planet in his head over and over; the blood on her lip; the stunned look in her eyes. He was supposed to have been watching her back, protecting her as a member of his team. How had he missed it? Why hadn't he realised it wasn't her? He'd even thought her behaviour at the debriefing odd but had dismissed it because he'd wanted to get home. If it hadn't been for Cassie…he sighed. The truth was that if it hadn't been for Cassie, they would have found out too late; probably off-world. Jack had no doubt that the Goa'uld would have used the first chance it could get to escape and taken Sam with it. It had scared him how close they'd come, how close he'd come to losing Sam completely and yet at that moment she had been as lost to him as though the Goa'uld had succeeded; she'd still been infested; still had the Goa'uld inside her with no way of extracting it safely.

Jack had found himself with the unenviable task of interrogating the Goa'uld. He had struggled with it; had delayed it. He hadn't been certain he could do it. Teal'c had known how hard it was for him.

'_When you speak with her; do not see your friend.'_

Teal'c's words had been wise; they had been undoable. How could he look at Sam and see anything but her? He'd sat in the cell and wondered at the torture of looking at Sam and knowing it wasn't her at all. And the Goa'uld had offered him what he wanted; to have Sam back, whole and healthy; all he had to do was let it leave. He'd been tempted but he couldn't do it. He couldn't trust the Goa'uld. As he had walked away, it had tried its cruellest trick.

'_No, Jack! Please! Don't leave me!'_

Sam's own voice, choked with tears and tearing his insides out, resounded in his head. He hoped to God it hadn't been her; that it had been a trick of the Goa'uld. He wasn't sure that he could face her if it had really had been Sam because he had ignored her and left the room as quickly as his legs would carry him. He'd thrown up in the nearest bathroom, sickened at the idea that he had left her; that he had left Sam behind with the Goa'uld.

Events blurred after that; the tale that the Goa'uld was Tok'ra – a small resistance movement of some Goa'uld who had different ideology than the System Lords; a name, Jolinar, and the news of the Ashrak and the danger to the Goa'uld, to Sam. They had taken the threat seriously but they had been certain their security was faultless. Instead, it had served to lead the assassin straight to his target.

The image of Sam's body lying on the cell floor swamped Jack. For a moment, he had thought she was dead. It had devastated him, ripped away the last of his delusions about his feelings for her. He hadn't been able to hide for a second longer behind the lies he'd told himself; that he was just attracted to a beautiful woman; had fallen deeply in like with the quirks Sam hid under the layers of genius and soldier; that he cared about her like he did Teal'c and Daniel; as a team-mate, as a friend, and maybe that was a little bit more than the regulations allowed but that was OK, manageable. But it wasn't OK. He didn't care about Sam a little bit more than he should; he cared about her _a lot more_ than he should.

He'd watch the medics work on her and struggled to hide his churning emotions. He had prayed for her to live – hell, he'd even prayed for the damn Goa'uld to live – anything to keep Sam alive. In the end, the Goa'uld had died; Sam had lived. But it didn't change anything. Jack swiped at his eyes surreptitiously. He loved her and he'd failed to protect her. He had failed her and Sam had almost died. It wouldn't happen again. He wouldn't fail her again.

o-O-o

Daniel Jackson watched Jack watch Sam. He wondered as the carefully constructed mask Jack had worn since they had discovered that Sam was a Goa'uld wobbled a little and at the furtive swipe at the tears that the soldier hadn't been able to suppress. Military bravado, Daniel thought exasperated but subsided knowing it was more than that. Whatever emotions were pulling at Jack couldn't be shown; he was Sam's CO and there were regulations.

Daniel's own red-rimmed eyes were sore and the back of his throat stripped raw from an earlier crying jag. He had sat with Cassie for a while in Janet's office on the base after her visit with Sam. He had held the young girl while she had wept out her own fear and heartache over what had happened to Sam. When she had fallen asleep, he had placed her on the couch, covered her with a blanket and headed for his own office. He had slowly slid down the wall to the floor in the darkest corner, hidden by the shadows of his bookcase and wept silently. For Sam; for Sha're; for himself.

It had happened again.

Someone close to him had been hurt, taken by a Goa'uld and he had been helpless to prevent it. He hadn't even noticed! He was supposed to be her friend and he hadn't even noticed that she wasn't Sam. He'd been too wrapped up in the intellectual exercise of determining the cause of the attack on the planet; his mind filled with theories and hypotheses on the Goa'uld social structure. His heart ached and he laid a hand over his chest as though to ease the pain.

How had Sam felt, he mused, trapped inside her own body and seeing all her friends, all her colleagues accept the Goa'uld Jolinar as her? He knew how he would feel…betrayed, upset, angry. He sighed and nudged his glasses up to rub at his tired eyes. And that was just about their behaviour when they hadn't known about the Goa'uld; what about after? Did she hate them for their actions? For Teal'c turning his staff weapon on her? For Jack's unwavering distrust of her? And himself…

Daniel frowned. Would she understand why he had stayed away from her for so long and buried himself instead in trying to find out what the Goa'uld had been doing on the planet in the first place? Would she understand how he'd wanted to pretend for a little while longer that it hadn't happened? He wouldn't blame Sam if she never wanted anything to do with any of them ever again. They had ignored the warnings of the Goa'uld and effectively handed it and Sam over to the Ashrak on a silver platter. Not that they knew for certain how aware Sam had been during her experience; how much of what happened she remembered.

He so desperately hoped she didn't remember anything and yet so desperately hoped she remembered everything. He couldn't deny that a part of him, a selfish, curious part of him wanted to find out whether Jolinar had spoken the truth; had she known where Sha're was and if she had, would Sam remember? Would he be able to find his wife? Guilt swamped him. He should be thinking of Sam, he berated himself. She was what was important now.

She was obviously deeply traumatised. She had barely spoken since she had regained consciousness after the death of the Goa'uld. She had managed to speak a little with Cassie; mostly to apologise repeatedly for scaring her. But it seemed like she had slipped back to her non-communicative state once he and Cassie had left. When Daniel had returned to the infirmary he had found her seemingly asleep, curled up in a foetal position with Jack perched on a stool by her side and Teal'c standing nearby watching over his team-mates. Daniel had pulled up a chair and joined the vigil. He wouldn't hide any more, he promised her silently; he would be there for her.

o-O-o

He was looking at a miracle. Something Teal'c had thought he would never see; a host surviving beyond the death of the Goa'uld it carried, saved in fact by the very Goa'uld who had infested her. He wasn't certain that he could believe it yet the truth of it was lying on the bed beside him. The Jaffa's dark eyes remained steady on Captain Carter and wondered whether the truth was as simple as it seemed. Colonel O'Neill had informed him, almost unwillingly, that Sam had indicated the Goa'uld had given its life to save hers. It seemed unlikely to Teal'c; the Goa'uld were not known for their acts of selflessness. But what of the Tok'ra?

Myths and legends; or so he'd thought. Bra'tac had told stories of the Tok'ra including the battle between Apophis and Jolinar but the Goa'uld System Lords had always denied their existence. As Apophis's First Prime, Teal'c had never once heard Apophis speak of the Tok'ra either as a threat or a consideration. Whatever threat the resistance had once posed, it seemed to have failed to sustain its momentum against the combined will of the System Lords. Had the Goa'uld who had taken possession of Sam really been Tok'ra?

When Jolinar had spoken with Daniel, the existence of the Goa'uld she had described had been an anathema to Teal'c. They lived without enslaving either Jaffa or humans; only taking the latter as hosts by mutual agreement. Yet, there was the contradiction; Jolinar had taken Captain Carter as a host by force, seemingly against all the principles and edicts of the Tok'ra. An act of desperation? Perhaps. Teal'c was uncertain. Jolinar had certainly acted with the ingrained arrogance of the Goa'uld Teal'c knew.

She had been right about the Ashrak; right about their inability to prevent it from achieving its mission. Teal'c felt a glimmer of satisfaction that he had killed the assassin himself. He had at least been able to exact vengeance for its attempted execution of his friend. Not that the host had been a factor for the Ashrak; it had been Jolinar who it had wanted to kill – it hadn't even considered the human Jolinar occupied. If Samantha Carter had died, her death would have been meaningless to the Ashrak, a consequence of Jolinar's choice to take her. In the end, maybe it was that fact that had prompted Jolinar to sacrifice itself so her host – her unwilling host – could live.

Whatever the reason, Teal'c could not proclaim to be unhappy at the result; Jolinar was dead, the Ashrak was dead and his friend lived. It was more than he had dared to hope for when they had learned of the Goa'uld's inhabitation of Captain Carter. In that moment, Teal'c had schooled himself to think of her as the Goa'uld and not as his friend believing that she was lost completely to them. He had years of practice; his Tau'ri friends were not so fortunate.

Teal'c raised his gaze and stared at the sombre face of the SG1 team leader before drifting to look at the archaeologist sitting beside him. They had found it most difficult. He had seen them both suffer during the past twenty-four hours as they had struggled to come to terms with the events that had played out. It wasn't just Captain Carter who was traumatised, he realised. Yet, the two men would need to find the strength and courage he knew they both had in abundance, because there was no doubt in Teal'c's mind that Samantha Carter would need them more than ever. Teal'c looked down at his friend. Whether O'Neill and Daniel Jackson found the courage or not, Teal'c knew he would be there for her regardless.

o-O-o

Sam kept her eyes tightly shut and her breathing even. She was so tired. The symbiote hadn't slept and her body needed sleep – craved sleep – yet she wouldn't let herself slide into unconsciousness. She was petrified she would wake up and find herself trapped in her own body again. Helpless. Useless. Screaming inside. She trembled at the memory of Jolinar's invasion. The terrifying choking sensation of the symbiote in her mouth; the riptide of pain at the back of her throat and then…the overwhelming presence of the Goa'uld in her head, rifling through the memories, taking what it needed; taking control.

Before it had happened, Sam had naïvely assumed that there had to be a chance the human mind would prevail in a battle of wills with a Goa'uld over control of the body. The reality had been a loss of control so fast and so absolute that she had literally been stunned. The bombardment of thoughts and images not her own; the sharp, cold inner voice in her head. But she had fought back and she had surprised Jolinar; the Goa'uld wasn't used to being fought. Sam had tried to influence it in the debriefing; small stuff like prompting the comment about Teal'c only being a Jaffa; punching the Colonel's arm. Anything that might catch their attention, make them notice she wasn't herself. Jolinar had been reluctantly admiring but equally as resolute; telling her that if she revealed its presence, her friends would die.

Sam had believed it and had subsided; the Goa'uld wanted to leave and it was prepared to do so quietly without harming anyone on Earth. Once off-world, it would stun the others and escape through the Stargate to another destination. She had even made Sam the promise of finding another host. Sam had not believed _that_ but she had believed its plan to escape was sincere. Sam had rested; conserved her energy. And then, Jolinar had gone to see Cassie as it had promised Janet. She remembered with horror at how Jolinar had threatened the young girl ruthlessly; Sam had fought harder than she had ever done in her life to no avail. And it had gone rapidly downhill from there.

Their internal struggle had continued through Jolinar's frantic determination to leave as scheduled; the frightening confrontation with Colonel O'Neill in the gate room and through the long hours of being held in the cell as Jolinar used her memories of her friends, her feelings to try and sway them, manipulate them before eventually telling them the truth. Sam couldn't blame them for not believing Jolinar; she hadn't believed the Goa'uld either at first, and was certain that if she hadn't been sharing its thoughts she would have continued to disbelieve it.

The Tok'ra. For a second, an overwhelming sense of homesickness and loss filled her. She inwardly shook the feelings away. They belonged to Jolinar; not to her. Images of a life twice as long as her own came and went in her mind; too fleeting for any to stay with her; too many to deny their existence. She pushed them away and breathed deeply replacing the images with her own. Her mother. Her father. Her family. Her team.

She could feel their presence as though they were touching her. She could hardly bear to think about the ramifications of what had happened to her. She would probably lose her place on SG1. She was compromised; damaged goods; no longer worthy of her place on the elite team. More than that, she'd hurt them so badly. Yet, a small voice whispered in her head, they were all there with her, and she so desperately needed them with her despite how badly she had hurt them and how badly they had hurt her.

'_No, Jack! Please! Don't leave me!'_

The memory slammed through her and stole her breath. Jolinar had heard her screaming inside and used it; let her out for a moment to beg Jack to believe; to give her a chance. He had left her anyway. Abandoned her and left her behind.

No, that wasn't true.

She knew what it had cost him to hear her beg and walk away; had known what it would have cost her if she had been in his shoes. _Don't leave me. _She couldn't let the words pass her lips; wouldn't beg again but as they resounded in her head, her eyes closed and her body finally won the fight for sleep.

o-O-o

Janet Fraiser straightened her shoulders and walked into the briefing room with a confidence she didn't feel. It had been forty-eight hours since they had first discovered Sam had been taken by a Goa'uld; more than twenty-four since the Goa'uld had died and almost taken Sam with it. She took her seat at the table and arranged her files neatly in front of her.

'Where's Colonel O'Neill?' General Hammond asked briskly as he sat down at the head of the table. He looked dreadful; his eyes were shadowed and puffy from lack of sleep; his pale face taut with white lines of tension. He had barely slept since finding out about the Goa'uld; had wrestled with his own guilt at not noticing Sam's unusual behaviour and struggled to deal with the fact that he had come incredibly close to losing someone under his command he cared for a great deal.

Janet opened her mouth, not sure what she was going to say when the sound of footsteps behind her saved her the trouble.

'Here, sir.' Jack took his seat. He was still wearing the same green combat trousers and black undershirt he had worn the day before; neither he nor any of the other members of SG1 had moved from Sam's infirmary room.

'Where are Doctor Jackson and Teal'c?' Hammond asked impatiently.

'They're with Captain Carter, sir.' Jack met the General's unhappy gaze squarely.

Hammond decided it wasn't worth arguing about their presence. In some respects, he was happier to keep the discussion to military personnel; it was going to be difficult enough discussing the future of SG1 without the sometimes contradictory opinions of their civilian and alien colleagues. He clasped his hands on top of the buff folder. 'Let's get started.' He nodded at the petite doctor on his immediate left. 'What's Captain Carter's current status?'

'Physically, her body is recovering rapidly.' Janet noted. 'Her vital signs are within normal parameters. Her sleep patterns are a little disturbed but we'd expect that given the circumstances. There are some anomalies in her blood chemistry.'

'What anomalies?' Hammond asked pressing for details.

'I'm running further tests to be certain but Sam's blood now has trace elements of naquadah.'

'Like Cassie?' Jack inquired interested.

'Like Cassie.' Janet confirmed. 'There's also a strange protein marker we can't identify. At this point we think it may be a residue from the breakdown of the Goa'uld symbiote.'

'Can I just say eueww?' Jack commented, pushing back the sleeves on his shirt.

Hammond appreciated the attempt at levity but kept his focus on the topic at hand. 'Does it constitute a risk to Captain Carter?'

'I don't think so, sir.' Janet spread her hands expressively. 'But I don't know for certain. We'll have to assess her condition over a period of time to make that determination.' She took a breath. 'At the rate of her current recovery, I would say, physically she'll be fit for duty in a couple of days.'

'I'm sensing a but.' Jack pointed at her across the table.

'But,' Janet said, confirming there was one, 'psychologically, I'm worried about her.'

'How do you mean, Doctor?' Hammond asked.

Janet shifted in her seat. 'Captain Carter sustained a massive trauma when she was taken over by the Goa'uld.' She wet her lips nervously. 'I would liken it to a severe rape.' She saw both men flinch. 'She was assaulted on every level; physically, mentally, emotionally. She was completely subjugated by the Goa'uld.' She sighed. 'There's also the emotional damage the experience may have caused in her relationships with others…'

'Emotional damage?' Hammond's voice had risen an octave; his concern vibrating through every word.

'She saw her friends and team-mates turning against her…'

'We were against the goddamn Goa'uld not Sam!' Jack interrupted leaning forward across the table. 'She knows that.'

'Does she?' Janet shot back. 'She may very well be able to reason that out, Colonel, on an intellectual level, but on a human, emotional one?'

Jack threw his hands up but kept silent.

'It's also a real possibility that Captain Carter will not recover from this.' Janet said. 'Since the Goa'uld's death, she has been uncommunicative and withdrawn. She's displaying classic symptoms of depression. I've consulted with Doctor Mackenzie and he'd like to begin treatment today.' She felt her fingers tremble and clasped them tighter around the pen she held. 'It is our medical opinion that it could be sometime before Captain Carter is psychologically fit for duty. It's possible she may never fully recover from the experience.'

'She'll recover.' Jack argued defiantly.

Hammond sighed. 'In any case, I see no option but to take her off SG1…'

'No!' The word flew out of Jack's mouth and cut across the General's statement. Hammond glared at him. 'Sorry, sir,' Jack said hastily, 'but Captain Carter is a valuable member of my team. I think taking her off SG1 would be the wrong thing to do.'

'Colonel, you know the protocol when an officer has been compromised by the enemy.' Hammond said sadly.

'Firstly,' Jack said, 'we're not sure she was compromised by the enemy. By all accounts, the Goa'uld who took her was just as much an enemy of the Goa'uld as we are.'

'So now you believe in this Tok'ra tale the Goa'uld was spinning?' Hammond asked sceptically.

'Not exactly,' Jack admitted, 'but this Jolinar character was telling us the truth about the assassin.' He gestured at the General. 'It has to make you wonder about the rest.'

'OK,' Hammond said, 'even if the Goa'uld was friendly…' he shook his head in disbelief and continued, 'there's still the question of her mental health.'

'It may take time for her to come back from this,' Jack acknowledged, 'but if anyone can do it, I know it's Carter.' His finger stabbed the table in punctuation.

'It may assist her recovery, sir.' Janet said. 'Captain Carter has worked very hard to achieve her position on SG1 and she takes a lot of pride in it. A lot of her self image and sense of worth is invested in it. Taking it away may make things worse for her psychologically and inhibit her recovery.'

'It's not just about Carter, sir.' Jack said, metaphorically throwing his last card on the table. 'We have to look at the precedent we'd set if we take Carter off the team. What kind of message does that send to everyone here about how we're going to treat them if they have a similar experience?'

'You have a point, Colonel.' Hammond murmured. The General considered their words turning them over in his head. Jack waited impatiently, aware that his heart was pounding in his chest. He knew Hammond had a personal connection to Carter but it had never swayed the General's decisions before.

'OK.' Hammond agreed finally. 'I say we give our people a chance. Captain Carter stays on SG1.'

Jack resisted the urge to punch the air in celebration.

'Although I still have to sell it to my superiors.' Hammond warned.

Jack nodded. 'You could always remind them she just helped to save the world.' He motioned at the General. 'That might help.'

Hammond gave a tight smile. 'We'll assign someone else as a temporary replacement during her absence.' He said firmly. 'I'll make the personnel files available to you and will expect your recommendations by sixteen-hundred tomorrow. SG1 can go back on rotation after…'

'Sir?' Janet cleared her throat as his pale blue eyes pinned her questioningly. 'I think all of SG1 should go on stand down with Captain Carter.'

'Doctor?'

'All of the team suffered emotional distress to some degree,' she ignored Jack squirming in his chair opposite, 'both in the shock of their team-mate being taken as a Goa'uld and in their interactions with the Goa'uld. I think it's very important if Captain Carter is to remain on the team that they address that.'

'I agree, sir.'

Hammond's head snapped around to Jack. 'Excuse me, Colonel?' He could see from the slack-jawed doctor he wasn't the only one surprised. It was unheard of for Jack to agree to downtime for the team.

Jack shrugged awkwardly, his brown eyes flickering nervously to the petite brunette opposite him. 'The Doc's right. It's not only Captain Carter who needs to recover from the experience, sir. All of SG1 has been affected by this.'

There was a shocked silence at his admission.

'You're really on board with this?' Hammond said eventually.

'I am.' Jack confirmed. If SG1 were off mission rotation they could spend the time with Sam.

'OK.' Hammond sighed. 'SG1 is on stand down until further notice.'

Jack nodded in relief. 'Thank you, sir.'

'Is there anything else we should cover?' Hammond asked.

'Sir, I think we should anticipate a backlash from some personnel.' Janet said thoughtfully. 'I already have two nurses who won't attend to her because they're scared she's still a Goa'uld.'

Hammond's face stilled into an expressionless mask. 'I want those nurses reassigned.'

'Sir, it's not their…' Janet protested.

'Reassign them, Doctor. That's an order.' Hammond said. 'If they can't handle this, they're not right for the SGC.'

'Even if I reassign those nurses, General,' Janet said carefully, 'there are still going to be other personnel who have a problem with Captain Carter because of her experience.'

'We'll reassign them all then!' Jack said frustrated. 'If people can't handle it, they don't deserve to be here.'

'Sir…' Janet stopped as the General held up a hand.

'That's all. Dismissed.' Hammond rose and strode to his office.

Jack could see the General through the window reaching for the red phone as he got to his own feet. He followed Janet out and into the waiting elevator. Jack shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants and stared up at the floor indicator hoping it would discourage the doctor from speaking; it didn't.

'It was a good idea to have Cassie visit.' Janet said quietly. 'She seems to have recovered from her experience with the Goa'uld.'

'Good.' Jack said shortly.

Janet cleared her throat. 'Sir,' she hugged her folders closer to her chest, 'I'd like to talk to you and the team about a group session with Doctor Mackenzie…'

'That's a thought, Doc, but why don't we put it on hold until Captain Carter is actually talking again.' Jack said brusquely.

Janet nodded unhappily. 'She's going to need you, sir.' The words were out of her mouth before she could prevent them and his brown gaze snapped to hers. 'All of you, sir; the whole team.' She hurriedly added.

Jack's stance softened at her obvious sincerity. 'I know.' He admitted gently.

They parted company as the elevator spilled them out onto the infirmary floor. Janet went left to her office; Jack went right, heading directly for Sam's room. He paused in the doorway.

Teal'c had assumed Jack's place on the stool next to Sam's bed; Daniel was stretched out on the other bed in the room apparently asleep. Jack sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. The archaeologist had been hit by zat the previous day; actually Teal'c had shot him in order to save him, but a zat blast was a zat blast. Daniel had to be feeling it in every sinew and every bone.

Jack ignored the aches in his own body from being thrown across the gate room by the Goa'uld as he walked in quietly, not wanting to disturb either Daniel or Sam. He stopped beside the Jaffa and nodded at him. 'How is she?'

'She is sleeping.' Teal'c said, pitching his voice in the same low tone as the Colonel. He got up and offered Jack the stool. It was the closest to the bed; the closest to Sam. Jack's brown eyes met Teal'c's. The Jaffa stood waiting; his hands clasped behind his back in his usual stance. A muscle worked in Jack's jaw; he knew to take the stool would be a silent admission to Teal'c about his growing feelings for their female team-mate.

He took the stool.

Jack glanced at the monitor tracking Sam's vitals, the cords snaking across the bed and into the covers as Teal'c sat in the chair Daniel had occupied earlier. The monitor beeped reassuringly. 'How long has Daniel been out?'

'He's not.' Daniel said grumpily. He sighed heavily and got off the bed. He walked round to stand at the foot of Sam's bed. He replaced his glasses on his face and wrapped his arms around his torso. 'I couldn't sleep. It all keeps replaying in my head.'

Jack nodded understandingly. 'Hammond has us all on stand down until further notice.'

'What about Sam?' Daniel asked bluntly as he shifted to drag a chair round fitting it in front of the monitor.

'She's still on SG1.' Jack said firmly. His fierce brown gaze dared Daniel to challenge it.

Daniel blinked in surprise but nodded in agreement as he sat down; Teal'c's eyebrow had arched delicately upwards as though to suggest anything else would have been a surprise.

Jack gestured at Sam. 'She'll come through this.'

'It's not going to be easy for her, Jack.' Daniel mused, his own eyes moving to Sam. 'We must have hurt her a great deal.'

Only Daniel, thought Jack fondly; only Daniel would think first at how much damage they would have done to Sam and not the damage done to them by the Goa'uld. He opened his mouth to make a comment but was stopped as Sam gave a low moan.

Their attention snapped to her.

Sam was shaking with fear; the nightmare holding onto her as she struggled back to consciousness. Was the Goa'uld within her? Lurking, hiding, just waiting for a chance to take control again? A sob escaped her before she could prevent it.

Fingers tangled around hers. Strong, comforting, real. They steadied her. Her blue eyes opened slowly. The Colonel's, she realised with surprise. Another hand was placed on her calf; warm through the blanket; Teal'c's. And finally, Daniel's hand rested on her shoulder.

'It's OK, Sam.' Jack's voice as gentle as she had ever heard it.

'You are safe, Captain Carter.' Teal'c added, his low rumbling tone reassuring her.

'We're all here, Sam.' Daniel added.

Her head tilted to meet Daniel's emotion filled gaze before sliding to Teal'c's fierce determination. Her eyes landed on Jack. _Don't leave me._ Her fingers tightened on his but she still couldn't say the words.

Jack leaned in close to her; his head almost touching hers as his eyes locked onto hers in perfect understanding. 'We won't leave you.' _I won't leave you._ The silent promise echoed in his head.

A tear leaked from the corner of her eye and slid down her face.

He wiped it away gently. 'Go back to sleep.' There was enough of an order in the tone that her eyelids fluttered shut automatically in response. He brushed the bangs back from her face and looked back at the rest of SG1 in mutual agreement. 'We're not going anywhere.'

**Part Two: Damage Control**

Sam stared at the image in mirror. It was her face; the same face that had stared back every day of her life. Her hand reached out to trace her features on the glass. How could she look so familiar and yet be so different, she wondered. She felt like someone had broken her apart and pieced her back together in the couple of days since her experience with the Goa'uld but somehow the pieces had been put back wrongly. She spun away from the mirror and pulled on her green over-shirt. She fastened it ignoring the way her fingers trembled as she slipped the buttons into the slots. She tugged the material so it hung smooth and fingered the SG1 patch on her upper arm.

She was so lucky to be wearing it, Sam thought. Hammond had confirmed her assignment to SG1 was safe the day before, subject to her passing her physical and psychological examinations. From the look on his face, it had been something of a battle with his superiors. Her thanks had seemed inadequate to express just how much it meant to her. At least she had cleared the first of the obstacles to her return that morning; Janet had declared her physically fit for light duties and the General had authorised her to continue working on the artefacts in her lab, although her security clearance continued to be limited and she would work under Colonel O'Neill's close supervision until she passed her psychological assessments.

Part of her resented the hell out of the restrictions; part of her welcomed them. She wasn't sure she trusted herself even though physically, Sam hadn't felt so good for years. Janet had a theory it had something to do with the natural healing powers of the Goa'uld on a human body. Sam had agreed to let her run some more tests. She couldn't help but be a little curious herself; would the effect be temporary or something more permanent? She thought her curiosity was a good sign; it made her feel normal just like pulling on her uniform was comfortably familiar.

Sam sighed and looked around the room. She'd been moved ostensibly because they'd needed the beds in the treatment room when an SG team had come in injured. Sam hadn't minded; she preferred the privacy of the small room and it had been a good place to hide while her body recovered. It hadn't gone unnoticed by her how people looked at her suspiciously, warily. She couldn't blame them but she had welcomed the chance to avoid their reactions for a while. Her release from the infirmary removed that option; she would stay in temporary quarters while restricted to base, work in her lab and eat in the commissary with everyone else. She rubbed her arms to comfort herself.

'Are you decent in there, Sam?' Daniel's question drifted through the closed door and she sighed in relief. At least, she wouldn't face it alone; her team were accompanying her to lunch. They were trying their best not to treat her any differently than before but she knew it was difficult for them; it was difficult for her. She crossed to the door and taking a deep breath opened it.

Daniel smiled at her. 'Hi.'

'Hi.' Her own smile was anxious and fleeting.

'You ready for lunch, Captain?'

The Colonel's voice had Sam looking sharply to her left where the other members of SG1 were waiting.

Sam took another deep breath and nodded. 'Yes, sir.' She fell into step beside Jack as Daniel and Teal'c followed.

'So, I hear from Fraiser that you can bench-press Teal'c now.' Jack said as they moved off towards the elevator.

Her lips twitched. 'Not exactly, sir, but there does seem to be some improvement in my physical abilities.'

'Why?' Daniel said as they stepped into the elevator.

'Doctor Fraiser thinks it's a side effect from the breakdown of…' Sam struggled with the word.

'The Goa'uld.' Daniel supplied.

'Yes,' she said in relief, 'we're not sure it's permanent. Doctor Fraiser wants to run some more tests.'

Jack frowned. The medical staff had been running tests every day as far as he could see and he was beginning to wonder if all of them were necessary. He exchanged a worried look with Daniel.

'You know you don't have to go through any more tests if you don't want to, Sam.' Daniel said carefully.

'It's OK,' Sam said trying to keep her voice light, 'I'm curious myself about the changes.' She was relieved when the elevator doors slid open and Teal'c led the way to the commissary.

They could hear the usual bustle as they entered; the clatter and clang of crockery and steel; the hum of conversation and the occasional yell from the serving staff to the kitchen for more of some item they were getting low on. A young Lieutenant caught sight of SG1 and dropped his tray. The smash had the entire commissary turning to stare at the door.

The silence was sudden and sharp.

Sam froze as all eyes landed on her. She felt her breath leave her body; her knees weakened and for one horrifying moment she felt like bursting into tears and fleeing the room.

'Suck it up, Captain.' Jack murmured.

The words were barely a whisper; pitched so only she could hear. They did the trick. Her spine snapped into ramrod straightness, her chin went up and her blue eyes stared defiantly back at the crowd before they took in the hapless red-faced Lieutenant picking up the debris of his lunch. She immediately reacted as she would have any other day; she took the two steps to his side and crouched down. 'Let me help you with that, Lieutenant.'

'Thank you, ma'am.'

Jack noticed with some amusement that the young man's face got even redder as Daniel joined in the clear-up. His own brown gaze stared hard at the watching crowd; Teal'c was already glaring at them. 'I'm sure we've all seen someone drop their tray before.' Jack said loudly. 'Nothing to see here.'

Everyone started to turn back to their lunches.

Sam rose to her feet and handed the Lieutenant a bowl as someone from the kitchen stepped in to relieve them of the debris and mop the floor.

'You go ahead and redo your lunch…' Jack searched for the name of the young guy on his badge, 'Simmons.'

'Yes, sir. Thank you. I'm really sorry for the disturbance, sir.'

Sam and Daniel smiled at him encouragingly before they stepped back into the line. Jack breathed a sigh of relief as they got their lunches without further incident and headed for their usual table.

Sam struggled to eat her lunch of lemon chicken. She was too aware that despite the Colonel's words, she was the object of furtive stares and barbed whispers. Teal'c and Jack were taking it in turns to glare at anyone who was bold enough to look over at them for any length of time but it didn't stop the problem entirely. Finally, Sam abandoned the pretence of eating her main course and reached for the glass of blue jello she had picked up.

'I really don't know how you eat that stuff.' Jack said, following her example and reaching for his own jello. 'The red is so much better.'

'That's stuff is disgusting whichever colour it is.' Daniel said, making a face.

'I agree.' Teal'c said.

She pointed with her fork across the table at the Colonel. 'I just prefer the blue, sir.'

'That's because you're not normal.' Jack said without thinking.

There was a stunned silence at the table as all three of his team-mates stared at him.

'I didn't mean…that you aren't normal.' Jack said hurriedly. 'Well, I did,' he corrected himself, 'but only about the jello not about…' he waved his fork vaguely.

Daniel sighed heavily and shook his head at Jack's attempt to explain himself.

Sam began to giggle.

Teal'c arched an eyebrow.

Jack's brown gaze narrowed on her. 'Are you giggling, Captain?'

Sam's blue eyes looked back at him lit up with nothing but merriment and he felt his own lips start to twitch. 'I might be, sir.' She admitted.

'Well, stop!' Jack said with a wide smile. 'That's an order!'

She grinned back at him. 'Yes, sir.' She lowered her gaze to her jello and missed her male companions all exchanging a satisfied look.

o-O-o

Jack put his pen down and stretched pulling the black material of the t-shirt he wore taut against his chest and back. He sat at one end of Sam's lab bench; Sam was at the other end. In the five days since Sam had returned to light duties they had worked out a simple routine to accommodate the restrictions that the General had placed on Sam. Mornings were spent in rehab; Sam attended counselling with Mackenzie and reported to the infirmary for tests and checks. Afterwards, the team worked out together in the gym. They all had lunch together before Sam would head to her lab with Jack; Daniel would head to his office with Teal'c. Occasionally they'd come back to consult with Sam on some aspect of science or theory. In any case, the Jaffa would return late in the afternoon and take over from Jack who had a daily checkpoint with Hammond and Fraiser. Jack would call in on Daniel on his way back to Sam's lab and they all would head off for dinner together. Most evenings, they ended up in Teal'c's room watching TV or a movie before they all headed for quarters. As a routine it was working well, Jack mused, but then he shouldn't be surprised; they worked together very successfully in the field after all.

Not that the past five days had been easy. The incident in the commissary where Sam's presence had stunned everyone into silence had not been repeated but the wary looks and whispers continued to follow Sam around the base. Jack knew it had to hurt as she saw colleagues she had previously been friendly with avoiding her but he was proud of the way she was handling it. She retained her professionalism and didn't let the cold shoulders get to her – at least in public. But if Sam seemed to be handling it, the rest of SG1 were not; they were all bristling on her behalf and Jack knew he'd have to speak with Daniel and Teal'c before they blew up at someone although he was half-tempted to do that himself. Part of him recognised that their reactions were down to indignation on behalf of Sam; part of it was down to their own lingering sense of guilt over what had happened to her.

They hadn't talked about it with her.

Mackenzie had overruled Fraiser and suggested a group session as a team should wait until Sam had come to terms more with her experience. He had informed Jack that Sam had total recall of everything that had happened when she had been possessed by Jolinar and he had cautioned Jack; he had told him that while SG1 being there for Sam was a good thing, that they needed to work at her pace not theirs. Jack had immediately told Daniel and Teal'c, and he knew it was as hard on them as it was on himself. The urge to sometimes blurt out how sorry he was, how he hadn't meant to walk away from her; it all just hovered on his lips so that sometimes it felt like he had to almost physically swallow the words.

He repressed the urge to sigh and looked over at the stack of folders Sam was quietly working her way through. 'So, what'ya doing?'

Sam didn't look up at the Colonel but kept her eyes on the columns of numbers she was scanning. 'Checking the gate diagnostics.'

Jack frowned. 'Don't we have gate technicians who do that?'

'Yes,' Sam explained patiently, 'but sometimes there are unexplained anomalies in the results that need investigation and as I have the most knowledge of the gate mechanisms and the dialling programme, the General sometimes asks me to give a second opinion.'

'Like a doctor.' Jack commented, crossing his arms.

Sam nodded. 'Uh-huh.'

'And you do this by reading through all of that?' He waved at the stack of results.

'No,' Sam said testily, 'normally I run it through a programme I have set up on my computer but as my security clearance no longer gives me access to it, I have to do it this way, this time.'

'Oh.' Jack registered the frustration in her voice. He picked up his pen and started to continue with the report he was writing. 'I'll raise it with the General later.'

Sam's eyes snapped to him gratefully. 'Thank you, sir.'

'He hasn't agreed to it yet.' Jack cautioned but he smiled at her and was pleased to see her smile back.

A sound by the doorway broke the spell and they both turned to find Teal'c stood there.

Jack glanced at the clock and frowned. 'You're early.'

'General Hammond has requested your presence in the briefing room on a matter of some urgency.' Teal'c stated clasping his hands behind his back.

Jack sighed and gave Sam an apologetic look. He threw down his pen, slipped off the stool and headed out patting Teal'c's arm on his way. He slowed as he neared the briefing room, and entered cautiously. He came to a surprised halt.

'Samuels.' He said in clipped recognition.

Hammond's ex-executive officer smiled smugly at Jack. 'Colonel.'

'What brings you here?' Jack asked, sticking his hands in his pockets to resist the urge to take some of his inner frustration out on the slimy man. 'I thought you'd been reassigned from your position at the Pentagon.'

'Yes, sir.' Samuels confirmed. 'I'm reporting to Colonel Maybourne now.'

Jack took his place at the table, nodding to Fraiser and Mackenzie who were already seated. 'So I ask again; what brings you here?' His gaze encompassed the man next to Samuels in a Captain's uniform.

A furious looking Hammond cleared his throat. 'They're here to interrogate Captain Carter.'

Jack's eyebrows shot up. 'Excuse me?'

'It has come to our attention that Captain Carter was possessed by a Goa'uld last week.' Samuels said.

Jack looked over at Hammond in concern. The records concerning Carter's experience had been given the highest classification and the personnel on the base warned not to discuss it with anyone. Someone had leaked the information.

'We're here to take Captain Carter into custody…' Samuels said.

'Now hold on there, Sparky,' Jack interrupted him, 'Captain Carter hasn't done anything wrong.'

Samuels met Jack's eyes resolutely. 'She's a Goa'uld, Colonel.'

'She _was_ a Goa'uld.' Jack retorted. 'It's dead.'

'Are you certain about that, Colonel?' Samuels argued.

'_I'm_ certain about it, sir.' Janet interrupted. 'I have the medical records to prove it.'

'With respect, Doctor,' Samuels said, 'the medical staff also believed the Goa'uld in Major Kawalsky had died when they removed it.'

'That was a completely different situation.' Janet said firmly. 'Captain Carter's latest MRI shows no sign of the Goa'uld symbiote and I was present when the Goa'uld died.'

'And besides, she's isn't running around with her eyes glowing.' Jack said. 'That should give you a clue.'

'According to our records, the Goa'uld fooled you for almost twenty-four hours before it revealed itself.' Samuels said calmly. 'It could be fooling you again.'

Jack stilled into motionless. 'Captain Carter is not a Goa'uld. I would stake my life on it.'

'Would you stake everybody else's on this base?' Samuels asked passionately. 'On Earth?' He shifted in his chair. 'Tell me if you're so confident that she isn't a Goa'uld then why have you reduced her security clearance?'

Hammond held up a hand to stop Jack from replying. 'Lieutenant Colonel Samuels, Captain Carter is recovering from a severe trauma. Her activities are restricted while she recovers and we are evaluating her progress on a day by day basis.'

Samuels assessed the stubborn faces staring back at him. 'OK,' he said spreading his hands wide, 'if you're so sure Captain Carter is not a Goa'uld then you have nothing to worry about in letting us take her into custody and interrogate her. She should pass with flying colours and reassure everyone.'

'To do such a thing would endanger her recovery.' Mackenzie said, stepping into the discussion for the first time. 'An arrest and interrogation would be an additional trauma on top of the one she has already suffered. Further, to force her to relive her experience through interrogative techniques could damage her psychologically.'

'Medically, sir, I cannot allow this.' Janet said firmly. 'As her doctor, I am not prepared to endanger my patient in this way.'

'I'm afraid my orders stand.' Samuels replied.

'Actually, no, they don't.' Hammond said forcefully. 'Doctor Fraiser as CMO of this facility can countermand any order on medical grounds nor do I believe your orders are valid.'

'You're welcome to check them.' Samuels said smoothly.

'I will.' Hammond retorted. He shoved his chair back and they all rose to their feet.

'May Captain Bell and I be dismissed, sir?' Samuels inquired. 'You may be some time and we had a long journey. Some refreshments would be welcome.'

'Fine. You can go to the commissary like everyone else.' Hammond said. 'Dismissed.' He strode off before Samuels could reply.

The Lieutenant Colonel picked up his cap and gestured to his companion to lead the way out. Jack watched as Janet and Mackenzie gathered their folders and left. He leaned back against the polished wooden table and folded his arms as he waited impatiently for Hammond. The Stargate caught his eye and he stared at it as he wondered how they protected Sam from their own government.

o-O-o

'This doesn't make sense.' Sam muttered under her breath as she peered at a second set of numbers on the sheet she was examining.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. 'May I be of assistance, Captain Carter?'

'Know anything about gate diagnostics, Teal'c?' Sam replied, her eyes still scanning through the numbers.

'I do not.' Teal'c admitted. 'But perhaps I could act as a sounding board.'

Sam glanced over at him and smiled. She spread the sheet on the lab bench and pointed. 'These are the numbers I'm having difficulty with.' She explained. 'They're the times of gate travel.' Her finger stabbed a second column. 'These are the corresponding electricity power measurements.'

Teal'c nodded. 'I understand.'

'There's a correlation between the two.' Sam explained. 'Usually the gate draws the most power during out-going wormholes.' She said, rubbing her nose as her gaze went over the figures again. 'But these don't make sense. The gate seems to have drawn a lot of power for some reason when establishing a wormhole to P2A108, almost twice as much as normal.'

'Perhaps a reason can be found there.' Teal'c suggested.

'Maybe.' Sam murmured. 'But I'm stuck here.' She softened the words with a quick smile and reached for another folder. 'I'll have to examine all the other occasions we've dialled there and do a comparison.'

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at the stack of folders. 'That appears to be a considerable task.'

'Tell me about it.' She muttered. She caught his brief look of surprise at her bitter complaint and sighed. 'I'm sorry, Teal'c. It's not your fault I'm stuck doing this by hand.'

'You have no need to apologise to me, Captain Carter.' Teal'c reached for a folder. 'I will help you.'

'Thank you.' She beamed at him and gestured. 'Colonel O'Neill was going to ask General Hammond to give me my computer access back.'

'I believe he will be successful.' Teal'c commented.

'You think so?' Sam asked hopefully.

'Indeed.' Teal'c confirmed.

The rap on the door had them turning to see who was there. Sam's eyes rose at the sight of an officer in his service blues; she didn't recognise him. He looked a little old for the rank of Captain he wore and his hair cut incredibly short like a Marine; his body suggesting a street brawler than a military officer.

'Can I help you, Captain…?' Her voice trailed away as she searched for his name tag.

'Bell.'

His dark eyes met hers across the room and she shivered. 'Captain Bell.' She repeated. 'Can I help you?'

'No, not specifically.' His manner was formal and brisk. 'General Hammond has requested Teal'c's presence in the briefing room.' He nodded at the Jaffa. 'I'll stay with Captain Carter.'

Teal'c frowned. 'I will call Daniel Jackson.'

'Doctor Jackson has also been called to the briefing room.' Bell smiled coldly. 'Don't worry, sir. I'm sure it won't be for too long.'

Sam reached over and patted Teal'c's hand when it looked as though the Jaffa wasn't going to move. 'It's OK, Teal'c. I'll be fine with Captain Bell.'

Teal'c's eyes slid to hers and she nodded. He got to his feet unhappily. 'I will return, Captain Carter.'

Sam nodded again. Her fingers tightened on the paper she held as she resisted the urge to ask Teal'c to disregard his order and stay with her as she watched him leave. She motioned for Bell to enter. 'Take a seat, Captain.'

'Thank you but I prefer to stand.'

She glanced at him and shifted a little uncomfortable at the way he was staring at her. An uneasy tension crept into the lab. After a couple of minutes, she gave up the pretence that he wasn't distracting her with his relentless look.

'Do you have something to say to me, Captain?' Sam said tightly, putting the sheet of paper down. Her stomach was knotting; her shoulders had stiffened.

'Why would I have something to say to you, Captain?' Bell took a step into the room, his dark eyes glittering menacingly. 'Why would I have anything to say to you?'

Sam got to her feet acting without thought, slowly backing away as he approached. She circled her lab bench placing it firmly between her and Bell.

'Why would I have anything to say to a Goa'uld?' Bell continued, he reached behind him as he came to stand underneath the camera out of sight of security and drew out a Beretta.

Sam froze. 'Captain, I'm not a Goa'uld. It died.'

'And if you were a Goa'uld, you'd say the same thing.' Bell said, his lips twisting in an ugly snarl.

'No if I were a Goa'uld, you'd be dead right now.' Sam said, her eyes glued to the gun. 'You'll never get away with shooting me on base, Captain.'

'Which is why we're going to leave.' Bell said. 'Quietly and without fuss.'

Sam's blue eyes widened and she gave a short laugh. 'I don't think so.'

'I do,' Bell said confidently, 'because if you don't and I don't make a phone call to confirm you're with me outside of the base, my associate is going to shoot Daniel Jackson.' He watched in satisfaction as she drained of colour.

'Daniel?' Sam asked in disbelief. It had been a set-up, she realised. Teal'c had been drawn away deliberately.

He jerked the gun at the door. 'After you, Captain Carter.'

She took one uncertain step and then another toward the door. He followed her out staying close to her. Her mind raced. Her first priority was to keep Daniel safe. Maybe there was an opportunity to alert the SF's at the exit of the mountain or maybe she could get away once the phone call had been made…

'Don't make any sudden moves.' Bell hissed in her ear as Sergeant Siler approached from the opposite direction.

'Ma'am.' Siler stopped beside her. 'I was wondering if you've finished with the diagnostic reports yet?'

'No, Sergeant.' Sam's mouth was dry as she answered him. 'I'm having to do it slowly. I should have them for you later.'

Siler smiled warmly at her. 'There's no rush, ma'am.'

She gave a sharp nod and they continued on their separate ways.

'Good girl.' Bell said quietly.

They rounded the corner and headed to the elevator where she could see a man leaning against the wall waiting for it. She recognised him immediately. Samuels. What was he doing at the SGC? The scuttlebutt had been that he'd been sent back to the Pentagon in disgrace after Apophis's failed attempt to attack Earth. He turned and smiled when he saw them.

He nodded at Bell. 'Well done, Captain.'

Sam's eyes widened. 'You're in on this, Samuels?'

'That's Lieutenant Colonel to you, Captain.' Samuels retorted.

'We should leave now.' Bell said sharply.

Samuels pressed the button to call the elevator. 'I agree.'

'You won't get away with this.' Sam said, her anger beginning to stir through the fear.

'Shut up.' Bell pressed the gun into her side.

'You're not clever enough to get away with this.' Sam said, ignoring the cold steel through her BDU jacket. 'And you know it.'

'Aren't I?' Samuels smirked at her. 'It seems to me that I fooled O'Neil, Hammond,' his smile widened, 'you.'

'So what's the plan?' Sam asked harshly. 'You're delivering me to the NID?'

'You always were the smart one, Captain.' Samuels said.

'I'm not a Goa'uld.' Sam argued. 'I don't know anything.'

'We've read Mackenzie's reports, Captain.' Samuels said. 'We know you have the memories of the Goa'uld in your subconscious.'

Sam stiffened. Mackenzie? Had he revealed everything about her sessions to the NID? 'They're in my subconscious, Samuels. I can't get to them.'

'But we can.' Samuels pressed the button again. 'I'm afraid the techniques will ultimately prove to be fatal but Earth will be safe. We'll have your knowledge and you'll be dead.'

Sam shook her head angrily. 'I knew you were an idiot, Samuels, I didn't think you were a killer.'

'I said shut up!' Bell snapped. 'Where the hell is that elevator?'

The doors slid open suddenly and all three of them turned toward the compartment and froze.

Daniel smiled happily at his team-mate as his eyes wandered over Samuels and Bell quizzically. 'Sam! There you are! I was just coming to talk to you…'

Sam felt Bell move the gun and reacted. 'Daniel! Run!' She screamed as she threw herself at Bell.

The shot impacted the wall of the elevator. Sam and Bell toppled to the ground. He grunted and slammed his fist into her face. Out of the corner of her dazed eye, Sam saw Daniel tackling Samuels. She absently noted both men were wrestling, tugging on each other's hair and searching for a good grip.

She blocked Bell's next punch and threw one of her own. Her increased strength lent a little bit more power and he jerked away from her. But they were too close and as she scrabbled backward to get some space, he came after her and used the weight of his body to pin her to the ground. He was too strong and too determined, she realised as she panted for breath. She reached down toward his groin as his hands went around her throat.

Air.

She couldn't get air. She tried to gasp but his fingers were tight around her throat.

'Sam!' Daniel's panicked cry was cut short by a grunt of his own.

She struggled to reach for Bell's crotch; if she could just…her vision blurred but her hearing sharpened; there were footsteps pounding towards them…

Suddenly, the weight was ripped away from her and she took a shaky, desperate breath, filling her lungs even as she coughed. From her position on the ground, she saw Teal'c grab Samuels releasing Daniel and Jack fighting with Bell a couple of feet across the floor from her; he was straddling Bell, hitting him…

Jack's fist smashed into Bell's face again and again. The Captain's head cracked on the floor yet Jack raised his fist to hit him again.

'Jack! Stop!' Daniel caught hold of Jack's arm and took a stumbling step back at the fierce rage that burned in the hard brown eyes that shot to him. He took a shaky breath and forced himself not to waver under the sheer intensity of Jack's anger. 'He's down. He's not getting up.'

Jack's gaze snapped to the unconscious man under him. The sight of Bell on top of Sam, strangling her, had snapped something loose inside of Jack; a part of him he hadn't wanted to acknowledge any longer. Sanity…awareness crept back into his eyes and he stumbled off the body as he swallowed hard against the need to retch. A groan caught his attention…

Sam.

The thought of her gave him something to focus on and he skidded across the floor to where Sam was slowly beginning to move. He raised a hand to touch her; thought twice and almost dropped it before her shattered blue eyes met his. He tugged her into his arms without a second thought.

'You're OK. You're safe now.' Jack murmured as he rocked her gently. His hands stroked her hair away from her face and he scanned it anxiously. 'Are you injured?'

Sam shook her head. 'I'm OK.' Her voice was a whisper. Her fingers covered her throat.

He pulled her hands away from her smooth neck and his eyes darkened again at the sight of the bruises.

'Let me go!'

Samuels' whiny voice had Jack's head whipping round to the Air Force officer. Teal'c held Samuels' arms securely. The Jaffa's dark face was set in an angry scowl at the way he had been duped at leaving Sam. It had taken him and O'Neill less than thirty seconds to realise Samuels' plan when Teal'c had arrived in the briefing room.

More footsteps had them turning toward the end of the corridor and the sight of the SFs arriving with Hammond along with Janet and a couple of medics brought relief to Daniel's face. They stopped a couple of feet from the tableau.

Jack helped Sam to her feet and gestured for Daniel to step in. The archaeologist slipped an arm around his female team-mate.

'What in God's name is going on here?' Hammond said, his pale blue eyes scouring the scene with shock.

'Samuels tried to abduct me, sir.' Sam stated quietly. She motioned at Bell lying on the ground as Fraiser felt for a pulse on the unconscious man. 'He tried to kill me.'

'Someone has to do damage control and this facility is clearly not up to the task.' Samuels said desperately. 'Don't you get it!' His eyes slammed into Sam's. 'Samantha Carter is dead. She died the minute that Goa'uld took her as a host and you're idiots if you think any different.'

Sam's face went white and she barely felt Daniel's arm tighten around her trying to comfort her; trying to shield her from the words.

Hammond's blue eyes turned to ice and he strode forward until he was an inch from Samuels' face. 'Airmen,' he barked without turning away from his ex-XO, 'get this sorry excuse for an officer out of my sight. Lock him up!'

'Yes, sir!' The SF's stepped forward and Teal'c relinquished his prisoner to them.

'You're making a mistake!' Samuels said, struggling against the SFs who held him. 'I'm not the one you should arrest. It's her! It's her!'

They all watched as the SFs disappeared around the corner with the still struggling Samuels.

Hammond breathed out sharply and turned back to the assembled group. His eyes fell on Fraiser who was on her knees assessing Bell. 'Doctor?'

'He's badly beaten up, sir,' her dark eyes flickered to Jack's bloodied knuckles, 'but I think he'll live.'

A pity, Hammond thought although he didn't voice the words.

'With your permission, sir, I'd like to get him and SG1 to the infirmary.' Janet rose to her feet.

Hammond gave a sharp nod. 'Agreed.'

He watched as they trooped away; Daniel with an arm around Sam's shoulder; Teal'c flanked her other side as Jack walked beside Daniel, his injured hand on the man's shoulder. The General wondered at how much more they could take as his eyes fell to the blood on the floor.

o-O-o

Jack's eyes never moved from the man lying prone in the infirmary bed on the other side of the room.

'I don't think he's going to be moving anytime soon, Colonel.' Janet commented wryly as she walked up to him. 'In fact, he's going to be lucky to wake up at all. He has two skull fractures; there's pressure on his brain we're going to need to relieve with surgery. Doctor Warner is prepping now.'

His brown eyes met hers evenly without apology. 'How's Captain Carter?' Although he had protested, they'd been separated for treatment earlier and Jack hadn't been informed of her status since.

'Bruises mainly. I've released her to her quarters to rest.' Janet said as she picked up his hand from the bowl of icy water it was resting in to examine it with a frown.

Jack stiffened. 'On her own?'

'Teal'c went with her.' She prodded his knuckles.

He let out a small hiss of pain.

'Sorry.' Janet said insincerely. 'Make a fist.' She nodded in satisfaction. 'Well, the good news is that I don't think anything's broken.'

'And the bad news?' Jack asked dryly.

'It's going to take a while to heal.' Janet said. She reached for her file and scribbled a notation. 'I'll get the nurse to stop by and strap it up. You should get some rest.'

'Right.' Jack muttered.

Janet sighed and stuffed her hands in her pockets. 'You won't be doing anybody any good if you don't rest, Colonel.'

Jack was silent; the muscle in his jaw working. He couldn't see that he was doing anybody any good full stop.

'Sir, if you need to talk…' Janet offered gently.

The Colonel's brown eyes flickered to her again; his refusal clear.

She sighed. 'I'll send the nurse in.'

Jack nodded. He waited until she was almost out of the door before he called out to her. She stopped and looked back at him. 'Thanks, Doc.'

She nodded and left, hurrying past a bemused Daniel as he entered. The archaeologist's gaze went first to the injured man Jack had beaten up before it rested on his friend.

'You OK?' Jack asked.

'A few scratches. I lost some hair.'

Jack snorted. 'Samuels fights like a girl.'

Daniel wrapped his arms around his torso. 'How are you?'

'I'm OK.' Jack said automatically.

'Really.'

The patent disbelief and Daniel's glance over at Bell had Jack flushing. He shook his head and stared at the ceiling. 'I lost it, Daniel.' He admitted. He raised his good hand to rub at his face and his hair. 'When I saw him trying to kill her…I just lost it.'

'How did you work it out?' Daniel asked gently.

'I knew something was off but I didn't know what.' Jack sighed. 'It wasn't until Teal'c appeared and told me Bell had sent him to the briefing room, we figured it out.' He met Daniel's eyes gratefully. 'We would have been too late. If you hadn't gotten out of that elevator when you did…' He shook his head again. If Daniel hadn't gotten out of the elevator and ruined the leverage Bell had over Sam, had stopped them from leaving...it didn't bear thinking about.

'It was Mackenzie's nurse who leaked the information.' Daniel said. 'Hammond just found out. Apparently she heard what had happened and decided to come clean before the investigation found her out.'

Jack's eyes glittered with renewed anger but a nurse appeared and Daniel retreated a few steps as she wrapped Jack's hand in a clean, white bandage. When she was done, Jack jumped off the infirmary bed and Daniel fell into step beside him.

Jack punched the button on the elevator and leaned tiredly on the wall as the compartment started moving. 'How's Sam handling all this?'

Daniel shrugged. 'She seems fine.'

There was an odd surprised note to his tone and Jack frowned. 'What's up?'

The other man glanced across at him. 'Nothing.'

'No,' Jack contradicted him, 'it's something. What is it?'

Daniel shuffled his feet a little before he gave in with a sigh. 'Don't you think she's handling it a little too well?'

Jack's eyebrows shot up. 'You think she's still a Goa'uld like Samuels said?'

'No!' The denial was loud and automatic. 'No,' Daniel repeated a little more softly, 'it's just…with everything she's been through…' he sighed again, 'I guess I expected her to be upset and angry.'

'She's a good soldier, Daniel.' Jack said defensively. 'She's handling it.'

'But that's just it.' Daniel retorted. 'I think she's repressing everything because she's expected to be a good soldier and that can't be healthy.' He gestured. 'We haven't even talked to her about what happened with us as a team when she was possessed by Jolinar yet.'

'Did I miss the memo telling me you got a psychology degree to go with the other bunch you have?' Jack replied mockingly. 'Mackenzie says we shouldn't rush her and…'

'Since when have you worried about what Mackenzie says.' Daniel shot back.

Jack shoved off the elevator wall and glared at Daniel. 'So what do you want us to do, Daniel? Force her into talking about something when she isn't ready yet?'

'I want us to let her know she can talk to us; that she doesn't have to be a good soldier with us. All of us.' Daniel said ignoring the flash of anger in Jack's eyes.

'She knows she doesn't have to be a good soldier with us, Daniel.' Jack bit out.

'Does she? What were your words in the commissary the other day? That she should suck it up?' Daniel countered.

Jack flushed. 'I didn't mean…'

'I know, Jack.' Daniel said quickly. 'But what if I'm right?'

Jack slumped back against the elevator wall and considered Daniel's words. If Daniel was right then Sam was storing up a lot of anger and pain that would have to come out eventually and if they didn't deal with it sooner rather than later, the eruption would be worse for her; for them all.

The elevator doors slid open and Jack moved out, Daniel following in his wake as they made their way to Sam's quarters. They found Teal'c stood outside of the door.

'Teal'c.' Jack jerked his head at the door. 'What's going on?'

'Captain Carter wished to rest.' Teal'c stated. 'I thought it wise to remain outside and guard her.'

'You did the right thing.' Jack said. He moved up to the door and knocked gently. There was a moment of silence and Jack knocked again. The door opened slowly.

Sam blocked the entrance even as she greeted them. Her eyes fell to his bandage. 'How's your hand, sir?'

'Sore,' Jack admitted holding up the hand in question, 'but worth it.'

Sam attempted a smile but she couldn't hold it.

'Can we come in, Carter?' Jack asked when she made no attempt to move.

She hesitated and he glimpsed the desire to refuse him in her blue eyes before she stepped back and allowed them to follow her into the room. Jack closed the door and turned to face her.

'So, how are you doing with all this?' Jack asked shoving his hands into his pockets.

'I'm fine, sir.' Sam said calmly.

Her voice was calm but her face was tight with tension. Jack realised with a sinking sensation in his stomach that Daniel was right. 'Really?' He prodded keeping his tone light although his eyes met hers seriously. 'Because I'd be pissed if I were you.'

Sam blinked in surprise and she glanced over at Daniel and Teal'c for their reactions. The Jaffa had raised an eyebrow and Daniel was staring at Jack with an odd expression. 'Sir?' She asked hesitantly.

Jack sighed and rubbed his good hand back through his hair, ruffling the brown and grey strands. 'Look, it's OK to be a little mad.' He sent Daniel a pleading look.

'I think what Jack's trying to say,' Daniel said stepping in, 'is that you don't have to pretend with us. It's OK to say how you really feel.'

Sam folded her arms across her chest and tried to ignore the rising panic in her chest. 'You think I'm still a Goa'uld.' She said accusingly.

'No!'

The simultaneous and heartfelt denial by both men reassured her a little.

'God, no.' Jack repeated. He sighed. He was no good at these sorts of things, he thought ruefully as Sam looked back at him quizzically. 'You have to be mad at us.' He said bluntly.

'Why would I be mad at you guys?' Sam asked uncertainly. 'You had no way of knowing what Samuels had planned.'

'Not about today.' Daniel said quietly. He forced himself to meet her eyes. 'About everything else.'

Jack gestured with his bad hand. 'About the way _we_ treated you when you had the Goa'uld.'

Teal'c shifted position as he realised what the two men were doing.

Sam felt her panic coming back full force. 'I understand why you all acted the way you did.' She said, trying to remain calm.

'You do?' He was going to have to push her to force a reaction, Jack realised. For a second he baulked at the idea; she'd been through enough… Jack looked across at Daniel helplessly before he glanced at Teal'c. They both nodded imperceptibly. He stiffened his resolve and searched for the things he knew would shake her composure. 'Sam, Teal'c pulled a weapon on you…'

'I was threatening everyone.' Sam said defensively. 'I would have done the same thing.'

'Daniel avoided you.' Jack pressed taking a step toward her. 'Do you really understand why he ignored you?'

Sam took a step back away from Jack. 'He was upset. It reminded him what happened with Sha're.'

'You're right, Sam.' Daniel said quietly before his throat closed up with emotion. He took a breath. 'But that doesn't excuse what I did. I left you alone because I didn't want to look at you as a Goa'uld and I'm sorry.'

Sam shook her head in denial.

Jack took a deep breath. 'You really understand why I walked out on you when you begged me not to leave you?'

She flinched and looked away from him.

Jack ignored the horrified looks on Teal'c's and Daniel's faces; they hadn't known what he'd done. 'That was you, wasn't it, Sam?'

She spun away from him and the others; she stared at the wall.

'I hoped it was the Goa'uld.' Jack admitted, a lump in his throat.

'You were upset.' Sam said desperately. 'You thought the Goa'uld was tricking you. I understood.'

Jack took a deep breath, his brown eyes filled with sorrow and contrition. 'I knew, Sam. Deep down I knew it was you.'

'Don't.' Her voice broke on the word as the memory rose up. _No, Jack! Please! Don't leave me!_ She raised a trembling hand to cover her mouth as though she could prevent the words from escaping again.

'And I left you anyway.' Jack said bluntly. 'We all left you to deal with it alone.'

She crumpled suddenly with a moan. He caught her and gently lowered the two of them to the floor by the bed where he held onto her as she shook with silent sobs against his chest.

Daniel hurried around to sit beside them. His blue eyes filled with compassionate tears of his own as he rubbed her back in soothing circles. 'We're sorry, Sam. We're so sorry.'

Teal'c wondered at the scene in front of him, unsure that they had done the right thing. Jack caught his eye and gestured for him to join them. The Jaffa took the few strides he needed to crouch down beside his team-mates. He placed a hand on Sam's shoulder adding his own silent comfort as she wept.

Time passed and they remained on the floor in their awkward positions, holding onto each other.

Eventually, Sam quietened. She stiffened as awareness of where she was seeped back through to her. She pushed a little against the Colonel and raised her hand to wipe her face.

Jack loosened his hold and searched his pocket with his free hand. He passed her a tissue. She took it without looking at him and scrubbed at her eyes. He let her shift away from him. 'I'm sorry, Sam.' He sighed. 'I'm sorry for the whole damned mess.'

'I'm sorry too, Sam.' Daniel added.

'As am I, Captain Carter.' Teal'c murmured.

'You don't have anything to be…' Sam began.

'We should have known it wasn't you immediately.' Jack contradicted her forcefully.

'Jolinar was reading my memories, sir, in order to act like me.' Sam said. 'There was no way you could have known. There's no way any of you could have known.' She sighed. 'If anyone should be apologising it should be me.'

'You?' Daniel asked surprised. 'Why you?'

'I threatened to kill you all including Cassie and I let Jolinar use me to get to the Colonel, to you both. She had no idea where Sha're was,' she couldn't look at him and stared at the floor, 'I used you and Teal'c.'

'No, you didn't.' Daniel said, ignoring the ache of disappointment at her words. 'The Goa'uld did that not you.'

'It felt like me.' Sam murmured. 'I knew what he was doing and I couldn't stop it.'

'We don't blame you, Sam.' Daniel rubbed her arm. 'You know that, right?'

'I tried.' She felt the tears press against the back of her eyes again. 'I tried so hard but I couldn't stop it.'

'We know you tried, Sam.' Jack said comfortingly. 'But Daniel's right. None of us blame you for what happened.'

'If I hadn't stopped to give that man CPR…' Sam started.

'You were doing your duty, Captain.' Jack asserted forcefully, using her rank to drive home his point. 'What happened was terrible, but there was no way you…there's no way _we_ could have anticipated it. Now we know the Goa'uld can do that, we'll be more careful in future.' He reached over and squeezed her hand. 'You survived; that's what's important.'

'Samuels said I died on the planet.' Sam murmured.

'Samuels is an idiot.' Jack shot back.

'Indeed.' Teal'c agreed gently. 'You are very much alive, Captain Carter.'

Sam smiled at the Jaffa.

'Feel better?' Jack asked gently.

She looked at him briefly before nodding. 'A little. Thank you, sir.'

'For what?' Jack asked dryly. 'Making you cry?'

She gave a small laugh and they all smiled at each other.

'Well, I don't know about you guys,' Jack said lightly, 'but all this has worked up my appetite.'

'Cake, sir?' Sam suggested.

'Excellent idea, Carter.' Jack got to his feet and helped Sam to hers as Daniel and Teal'c rose to theirs.

'I should thank you for saving my life today, sir.' Sam said seeing Jack wince when he moved his hand.

Jack shrugged. 'I maybe went a little overboard.' He admitted. 'Fraiser's not sure he's going to make it.'

'I hope he doesn't.' Her eyes widened as she realised what she had said but she didn't take it back.

'As do I.' Teal'c growled.

They all turned to look at Daniel.

'What?' He asked. He pushed his glasses up his nose.

'Don't you have something to say about forgiveness, compassion, that kind of thing?' Jack pointed out.

'Not this time.' Daniel replied evenly.

'O-kay.' Jack peered at him as they left the room. 'Daniel.'

'Jack.'

'Are you sure you're not a Goa'uld?'

'Funny, Jack. Very funny.'

**Part Three: Damaged Crystal**

Teal'c carefully examined the package in its garish wrapping paper and raised his eyebrows at the smiling Santas.

'Oh for crying out loud, Teal'c,' Jack said, gesturing at him impatiently, 'just open the da…'

'Colonel.' Janet's voice whipped across the infirmary room where the team were gathered to exchange Christmas presents with Cassie. As Sam was still restricted to base, Janet had agreed to bring Cassie to them before she and the young girl flew to Janet's parents' home for the holidays.

'…darn,' Jack hastily corrected sneaking a glance at the petite doctor, 'present already.'

There were giggles from the bed opposite. Jack glanced across and pretended to scowl ferociously at Cassie. He couldn't hold the expression though at the sight of her on Sam's lap, the two of them cuddling each other happily; he could almost believe the last few weeks hadn't happened.

'Open it, Teal'c! Open it!' Cassie said cheerfully.

The Jaffa slowly untied the curly ribbon knot that decorated the gift.

Jack covered his eyes and shook his head in disbelief as Cassie giggled louder. Daniel circled the room with the video camera, zooming in on the happy child.

'You want a hand there big guy?' Jack asked dryly as Teal'c moved on to cautiously pull the tape away from the wrapping paper.

'I do not.' Teal'c said firmly. He finally managed to extract the slim flat box and lifted the lid. He opened it up and saw the framed picture of one of Cassie's drawings as he had expected; they had all received one as a gift. But each picture was specific to the recipient and his featured himself with a woman and a child at a picnic.

Cassie wriggled off Sam's lap and dived over to Teal'c. 'See, Teal'c. It's your family.' She pointed at the young boy in her painting. 'That's Rya'c.'

'I see.' Teal'c confirmed with a lump in his throat. He bowed his head at Cassie. 'I am honoured by your gift.'

She reached up and hugged him.

Jack realised he was grinning inanely along with the other adults in the room. He glanced over at Sam and saw her blue eyes were bright with unshed tears. He resisted the urge to cross the room and hug her. She'd gotten a little formal around him since breaking down in front of the team and Jack respected her need for a little distance; he didn't like it but he respected it. He knew she was talking to Daniel; he'd eavesdropped on them when he'd stopped by the archaeologist's office one day and found them together discussing the Tok'ra. His gut churned over.

He wasn't jealous, he mused defiantly. She and Daniel had a completely different relationship, one not hampered with the restrictions of military ranks and positions. He was her CO; it wasn't any wonder she wasn't comfortable confiding in him. He understood it. He wasn't overly comfortable with the idea of confiding in his CO no matter how much he liked Hammond personally. Daniel was a civilian and he and Sam had always clicked as people probably better than Jack and Sam had despite their shared military background. If Sam was confiding in Daniel then Jack was just pleased she was confiding in someone. Yeah, right, Jack thought derisively as he noticed Daniel slide onto the bed next to Sam and nudge her arm.

Janet stood and brandished her own camera. 'OK, group picture and then we have to leave to catch our flight.'

Cassie's dramatic groan had them all smiling even as she crossed back to the bed and climbed back up onto Sam's knee. Jack moved swiftly to sit on the other side of Sam as Teal'c took a standing position next to Daniel.

'Smile!' Janet shouted.

They all dutifully grinned as the flash blinded them.

Janet lowered the camera.

'Can I get a copy of that, Doc?' Jack asked.

'Me too.' Sam said.

Janet held up a hand before Teal'c and Daniel could add their requests. 'I'll get you all a copy, I promise.' Her dark eyes fell to the young girl she had adopted. 'Now we have to leave.'

A flurry of hugs later and Cassie was gone taking with her the presents SG1 had given her and leaving behind a stack of torn wrapping paper. They started to gather the debris.

'I do not understand.' Teal'c murmured. 'What is the purpose of wrapping the gift?'

'It adds to the excitement, Teal'c.' Jack answered before Daniel could provide the factual version.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

'Actually,' Daniel began earnestly, 'the practice of wrapping the gifts only started in the…'

'Daniel.' Jack cautioned him. 'I don't want to know.'

'But…' Daniel's twinkling blue eyes gave away that he was teasing the other man.

'Ah!' Jack held up a finger. 'No history lessons. You're banned for the next three days until after Christmas.'

Sam straightened and crumpled the wrapping she held in her hand. 'You know you guys don't have to stay here on Christmas Day.' She said casually. It touched her that they had all opted to spend the day with her on base but a part of her felt incredibly guilty.

'Where else would we be?' Jack replied easily without looking at her.

'It is my understanding that Christmas is a day to spend with family, Captain Carter.' Teal'c added. 'And are we not family?'

Sam smiled. Sometimes it seemed like her team were more of a family to her than her own flesh and blood. The conversation with her father confirming she wouldn't be home for Christmas had been difficult. He had seemed unusually upset. 'Yes, we are but…'

'_Colonel O'Neill, please report to the control room. Colonel O'Neill to the control room.'_

Jack smiled and handed Daniel his rubbish. 'It looks like I'm needed elsewhere.'

'You set that up deliberately to get out of clean up.' Daniel said accusingly, his eyes narrowing on Jack suspiciously.

Jack smiled and left. He made his way to the control room almost jauntily. He hadn't arranged the summons but he couldn't deny he was pleased to get out of the chore of tidying up. He practically bounced into the gate control room where Hammond was already stood staring out at the Stargate.

'Sir?' Jack came to a halt beside the older man.

Hammond sighed. 'We have a situation.'

Jack sobered abruptly and waited for information.

The General gestured at the computer monitor where images were replaying of a MALP recording. 'This is P2A108.'

'The one we're considering as an alternate Alpha site?' Jack clarified. 'Wasn't there some issue with the gate using too much power when it dialled there?'

'That's correct.' Hammond agreed, surprised that Jack knew about it.

Jack shrugged. 'Captain Carter may have mentioned it.' He'd stopped supervising her a week before and he already missed sharing a working environment with her on base. It showed the excellent progress Sam was making that she was being allowed to work without supervision, Jack thought determinedly, and besides, given his feelings for her it was maybe for the best they re-established some distance between them. He tuned back in as he realised Hammond had begun to speak again.

'She was the one who spotted the problem with the power usage.' Hammond noted. 'Two days ago, Doctor Miznyk was able to establish an outgoing wormhole without the increased power outage by changing the dialling protocol.' He gestured. 'I won't bore you with the specifics.'

'Excellent, sir.' Jack commented.

'Yes.' Hammond sighed. 'I agreed to Doctor Miznyk's request that he go through to P2A108 to find out what was causing the issue at their end. His theory was that there must be technology there that initiated the power increase. We were hoping we could utilise it to draw energy from incoming wormholes ourselves. It might help offset some of the huge electricity bills.'

'I see, sir.' Jack said.

'SG2 and Doctor Miznyk left twenty-eight hours ago. We've heard nothing since then.'

'They missed their check-point.' Jack surmised.

'We sent another MALP but all we got was this.' Hammond gestured at the screen. 'Thirty seconds of images before the device went dead.'

Jack watched the image with a frown. The Stargate was obviously located in a temple. The area in front of the gate seemed empty; no signs of struggle. He could clearly see a DHD. 'There doesn't seem to be any obvious reason for them not to have checked in, sir.'

'That was my conclusion.' Hammond admitted. 'I want you to take a team to P2A108.'

'Yes, sir.' Jack nodded and placed his hands behind his back as he drew himself into a semblance of the 'at ease' position. 'Sir, if this is a problem related with the gate technology on the other side,' he met Hammond's eyes squarely, 'it's going to need Captain Carter's expertise.'

Hammond pressed his lips together as he mulled over Jack's words. The same thought had occurred to him. He gave a sharp nod. 'Very well. I'll authorise Captain Carter to go with you on this mission.'

'Thank you, sir.' Jack said.

'Get your team, Colonel and be ready to depart in thirty minutes. Dismissed.' Hammond ordered, turning back to the Stargate.

Jack headed out to break the news to the rest of SG1; they were back to work.

o-O-o

'Chevron six encoded.'

Jack checked around at his team-mates and placed the baseball cap securely on his head. 'Everyone good to go?' Daniel and Teal'c nodded and he turned his attention to their female team-mate. 'Carter?'

'Yes, sir.' Sam answered a little nervously as the vortex mushroomed out before settling back into the usual blue shimmering puddle.

Jack saw a shadow cross her eyes before she shook it off. 'Like riding a bike, Captain.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam replied absently. Her fingers clutched her MP5 a little tighter.

'Let's head out.' Jack said firmly. He ushered his team up the ramp; Teal'c first, then Daniel, then Sam; he went last. He took a last look back at the control room where Hammond was watching anxiously before stepping into the wormhole.

He stepped out on P2A108. He skipped past his team who had come to a relaxed halt on the steps leading down and scowled at the sight of the SG2 leader walking towards them with the young Lieutenant on his team. 'Ferretti. Lieutenant Corrigan.'

'Colonel.' Lou Ferretti saluted briskly as did Corrigan.

'What's going on, Ferretti?' Jack asked. 'You forget to put on your watch?'

'No, sir.' Ferretti shook his head. 'The gate doesn't work.' His dark eyes shifted to Sam. 'I can't tell you how glad I am to see you, Captain.'

Jack waved a hand as Sam smiled back at the other officer appreciatively. 'Did you just say the gate doesn't work?'

'Doesn't that mean we're all trapped here?' Daniel added as he produced a large handkerchief and took off his glasses, rubbing the small panes clear of mist.

'That's right.' Ferretti waved at the DHD. 'Einstein figured out that it was bust DHD.'

'Einstein?' Jack asked as he looked around the hall.

'Doctor Miznyk.' Ferretti expanded.

'Where is Doctor Miznyk, sir?' Sam asked. 'I'd like to confer with him on his findings so far.'

'He's not in good shape, Captain.' Ferretti said. He pointed at the DHD. 'He pretty much lost it when he realised we were stuck here.'

'We've been stuck before and made it home.' Jack said confidently. 'Any indigenous population for us to worry about, Ferretti?'

'Doctor Yancy says this place was abandoned a while ago, sir.'

'OK.' Jack turned to Sam. 'Captain, why don't you start,' he gestured vaguely at the DHD, 'doing your thing.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam headed to the device.

Jack nodded at Teal'c. 'Teal'c, you help Carter with the DHD.'

The Jaffa inclined his head understanding his role was to guard the Captain from danger as well as provide her with assistance.

'So, give me a run down of what happened, Ferretti.' Jack ordered.

'Not much to say, sir.' Ferretti said. 'We arrived; secured the gate. Everything seemed fine.' He sighed. 'We began to get organised and I ordered Corrigan here to send the MALP back.'

Jack turned back to the Lieutenant. 'Corrigan?'

The blond haired officer nodded. 'I dialled Earth, sir, just like always and nothing happened.'

'Miznyk took a look at the DHD and declared the crystal was damaged.' Ferretti said. 'He pretty much lost it. We implemented basic survival training; I ordered a search of the area. We found some ruins of an old village a couple of clicks from here. This temple seemed like a good structure to provide shelter for a prolonged period. We figured the SGC would send a MALP and hoped to get a message back to Earth at least warning them not to send a rescue party.'

'But the second MALP malfunctioned.' Daniel said.

'I don't know what happened to it.' Ferretti said. 'It had hardly made it through the gate when it just…died but the same thing happened to the original.'

'Really?' Daniel asked.

'Yeah, we didn't get much telemetry.' Ferretti acknowledged. 'We figured the MALP was defective and Hammond authorised the mission based on the fact that the telemetry we received back looked OK.'

Jack and Daniel exchanged a look.

'I guess he won't be doing that again.' Daniel murmured as he admired the architecture.

'Daniel?' Jack said, peering at the ornate pillars and arches that had caught Daniel's attention.

'Looks Greek.' Daniel said, placing his hands on his hips and staring up at the delicately carved marble.

Ferretti waved at the room they were in. 'I'll think you'll be excited to see this place, Daniel. Yancy thinks there some deep religious significance in the writings on the walls in the other rooms.'

'There's writing?' Daniel repeated.

'You had to tell him?' Jack muttered. Daniel shot him a look which he ignored. Jack motioned at Ferretti. 'Why don't you give us a tour?'

Ferretti nodded and gestured around him. 'Yancy thinks this was the main hall.' He waved at the central statue of a beautiful woman that adorned the centre.

'It's Hera.' Daniel said, circling the large statue.

'Exactly, Doctor Jackson.' A thin brown haired man called from a doorway across the hall.

'Doctor Yancy.' Daniel gestured up at the nine foot tall marble. 'This is incredible.'

'You should see the ante-chamber.' He waved him over and they followed him through the doorway into an ornate room.

'Wow.' Daniel spun around, his eyes travelling from one side to the other. The walls were plated in gold and inscribed with a complex set of symbols. 'I don't recognise this.'

'Are you saying it's all Greek to you?' Jack quipped.

'No,' Daniel frowned at the symbols, only half listening to his friend. 'No. It's not Greek.'

Jack rolled his eyes as Ferretti sniggered.

'It's like no language I've seen before.' Yancy said with satisfaction. 'I've been documenting it since we arrived here yesterday.'

'You have it on film?' Daniel asked.

'No, I've been concentrating on doing traces.' Yancy admitted, his dark eyes shining with an eager passion that Jack recognised; he'd seen it too often in Daniel's. 'I figured we had time since we're stuck here forever.'

'You might want to get it on film.' Jack pointed out to Daniel. 'If Carter gets that gate working we could be leaving in a hurry.'

Daniel nodded as Yancy froze.

'Captain Carter's with you?' Yancy asked worriedly.

Jack stiffened at his tone and he pinned him with a hard gaze. 'Is there a problem, Doctor Yancy?'

'No, sir.' Yancy shuffled under Jack's regard. 'It's just…I didn't realise she would be able to come off-world so soon after her…experience.'

Jack held his gaze for another heartbeat before he turned to Daniel. 'I take it you're going to be busy here?'

Daniel nodded. The room was a valuable archaeological find.

Jack sighed. 'That's what I thought.' He gestured at Ferretti. 'Let's leave the geeks to it.'

'I heard that, Jack.' Daniel said testily.

'I know.' Jack shouted over his shoulder.

Ferretti led the way back to the main hall and through a doorway on the opposite side. 'We're camped out in the next room.'

Jack's eyes scanned the room carefully. SG2 had set up at the back of the room. There was a clearly identified sleeping area, operations centre and a cooking and eating area.

'Nice.' Jack said.

Ferretti pointed back at another door. 'That leads to the outside. Taylor's guarding the entrance now and we posted a watch last night but this place was abandoned a long time ago.'

Jack glanced down at the accumulated dust and dirt at his feet. 'Or your housekeeping is really bad.'

Ferretti grinned. 'My wife would agree with you, sir.'

o-O-o

Sam sat back on her haunches. She unwrapped the ration bar and bit into it chewing thoughtfully. She had opened the DHD up and she stared at the contents of its inner workings as she ate. She glanced over at Teal'c who was standing by the edge of the steps. It was standard protocol to have someone stay with her, Sam told herself. The Colonel hadn't ordered Teal'c to stay with her because he didn't trust her; she doubted she would be on the mission at all if the Colonel didn't trust her. She pushed the thoughts aside. She had a problem to focus on, she reminded herself. Her focus should be on how to fix the gate not whether the Colonel trusted her.

'Is something troubling you, Captain Carter?' Teal'c asked.

Sam looked up surprised. 'No.' She denied. 'I was just thinking.' She finished her snack and headed back to the DHD. She frowned at her laptop and tapped on the keyboard bringing up the latest readings of the monitoring equipment she had set up. She glanced up at the sound of approaching footsteps and got to her feet as Ferretti and Jack approached.

Jack nodded in acknowledgement to Teal'c before turning to Sam. 'Captain?'

She gestured at the guts of the DHD. 'There is a crack in the control crystal, sir, but that isn't our problem.'

'Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?' Jack sighed and plucked his baseball hat off his head to look at her fully.

'Even though the control crystal is damaged, I'm not sure it would prevent us from establishing an outgoing wormhole. In theory, we should be able to link the power from the DHD directly to the gate,' Sam explained, 'and dial the gate manually.'

'Like you tried back when we went to rescue Ernest.' Jack said.

'Exactly.' Sam would have smiled at him but the situation was too serious. 'Unfortunately, we can't do that here.'

'Why not?' Ferretti demanded.

'Because there is no power.' Sam said. She knelt in front of the DHD column. 'You see this here?'

Jack glanced at the panel and wiring blankly. 'What am I looking at, Carter?'

'Someone rigged this section of the DHD as a power buffer.' Sam gestured at it. 'It's the reason why our power usage at the SGC for dialling here was so high originally. The whole system has been Macgyvered to draw energy through the incoming wormhole and store it here. It's ingenious really…'

'I'm sure it's fascinating, Carter,' Jack said cutting across her, 'but what does this have to do with us having no power?'

'Well, in theory, sir, I think the system was designed so that the energy needed for an outgoing wormhole would be drawn directly from an incoming wormhole.' Sam hurried out. 'So you see what I'm saying, sir.'

'No.' Jack replied honestly.

'When the SGC limited the power usage at our end, the system here wasn't able to draw enough power to sustain an outgoing wormhole for us to depart.' Sam expanded.

'You mean we marooned ourselves.' Ferretti stated with a sigh.

She nodded. 'I think I've also figured out why the system was rigged that way.'

'Well, don't keep me in suspense, Captain.' Jack said sarcastically.

'Something seems to be affecting the electrical energy in this area.' Sam said.

'That's why our MALPs failed?' Ferretti whistled.

Sam nodded again. 'I think so. So far, my laptop and the radio transmitters seem fine but I don't know how long for.'

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. 'So we need an alternative power source.'

'It's not that simple, sir.' Sam said firmly. 'Even if we found another power source for the gate, it would become useless very quickly if we brought it into this area.'

He looked at her steadily. 'Options?'

'It's likely that the SGC will attempt to send another MALP when we fail to report in tomorrow morning, sir.' Sam said. 'If I can restore some power to one of the MALPs here, I may be able to program a message to be transmitted automatically back to the SGC when the Stargate is activated asking them to dial here again but not to limit the power usage at their end.'

'So the system gets enough energy so we can dial out.' Ferretti beamed at her. 'That's a great plan, Captain.'

'If you can restore power to the MALP before the SGC dials here in,' Jack checked his watch, 'approximately twenty-two hours. Can you do that?'

'I don't know, sir.' Sam admitted. 'And even if I do restore power, I'm not sure it'll work for long.'

Jack rubbed his head. 'Is there another option?'

'We try to find the source affecting the power and reverse it somehow.' Sam said. 'But that may take days.'

Jack turned over the options in his head. He sighed. 'Let's call that plan B. We'll try and restore power to one of the MALPs.'

'In which case, sir, we should make the attempt as close to the window when we think the SGC will dial back in as possible.' Sam said.

Ferretti cleared his throat. 'It's going to get dark here real soon, Colonel.'

Jack nodded. 'Let's clear up. We'll try the plan in the morning.'

They tidied away the gear; Sam put her laptop and measuring equipment back into her pack. Sam mulled over the Colonel's reactions in her head as she cleared away. She got the impression he had been disappointed with her findings, with her. It had taken a while for her to prove herself to Colonel O'Neill and it upset her to think she might have lost his approval and his trust. She couldn't blame him for having doubts, Sam thought. She wasn't sure herself if her experience hadn't damaged her abilities. Who was she even trying to kid? She wasn't sure her plan to restore power to a MALP would work, she mused. There were so many variables and the timing was going to be critical. She sighed and started to go through it in her head again. She started to follow the Colonel to the other room when the statue of Hera brought her to a surprised halt.

'Wow.' She said looking at the half-naked woman.

'It adds something to the place.' Jack said standing beside her. 'Don't you think?'

'I'm not sure I'd want one in my living room.' Sam muttered as she rolled her shoulders. There was a nagging sensation in her head as though she'd seen something similar before. She frowned up at its beautiful but cold visage.

'Sam! Jack!' Daniel ran up to them excitedly. 'You have to see this!' He snagged Sam's arm and tugged her after him. Jack exchanged an amused look with Teal'c before they followed his team-mates. Daniel led them back through the room where Yancy was busy videoing the walls and into a short corridor. He pressed down on a panel and a doorway slid open in front of them.

'Cool.' Jack said. He motioned for Daniel to lead the way. They ended up in a small dark room lit by old torches Daniel had set alight.

'Cosy.' Jack remarked.

'Indeed.' Teal'c said as he ducked his head to enter.

'Look at this!' Daniel gestured up at the mural on the walls. It was crumbling in places and covered in dust. 'You see what this means.'

'Why don't you tell us anyway?' Jack said wryly.

'Well, it's the story of this planet. It was ruled by Hera, Queen of the Greek Gods. I think we can assume she was another Queen Goa'uld like Hathor.' Daniel mused out loud. He pointed at the mural. 'Anyway, Hera had a reputation for being jealous and vindictive. There were a group of scholars who angered her so much she transported their entire village to the planet through the Stargate and told them they were imprisoned here until they had shown her one thousand years of remorse through their worship of her. An envoy of Hera's appeared every year at the same time to assess their progress.'

Jack found himself unwilling interested but he knew he needed them to focus on getting home. 'Is any of this going to help us get out of here, Daniel?'

Daniel glared at him for a moment. 'So how did the envoy leave every year?' He asked passionately gesturing at Jack.

Jack stared at him uncomprehendingly.

'You're right.' Sam said excitedly. 'There has to be a mechanism that returned the power to the Stargate for the envoy to leave. If we could find it…'

'We could use it.' Daniel concluded.

'OK,' Jack acknowledged, 'that we could use.'

'Indeed.' Teal'c added.

'So where is it?' Jack asked Daniel.

'Well…' Daniel began.

'You don't know.' Jack surmised from the archaeologist's sheepish expression.

Daniel sighed. 'I've only been here a couple of hours, Jack.'

'Well, keep at it.' Jack ordered, waving at the room. 'Otherwise we'll go with Carter's plan in the morning.' His eyes flickered to the Captain. 'Carter, stay and help Daniel. Teal'c and I are going to go help SG2 organise dinner.'

He made his way back into the main hall, the Jaffa beside him. Ferretti greeted them, his dark eyes glancing at the doorway with curiosity. 'What's going on?'

'Daniel found a secret room.' Jack said mildly.

'Oh.' Ferretti blinked. 'He doesn't change much does he?'

Jack hid a smile. 'It looks like there might be a mechanism that turns the Stargate on hidden somewhere around.' He explained. 'Daniel and Carter are working on finding it.'

'Have I told you how happy I am to see you guys?' Ferretti said grinning.

Jack clapped a hand over his shoulder. 'That's good because you're cooking.'

o-O-o

Jack accepted the square tin filled with the stew Ferretti had somehow concocted from their rations. He frowned at the brown mess and sighed as he dug in with his spoon. He'd forgotten just how bad a cook Ferretti was. He looked up briefly as Sam and Daniel arrived back with Taylor. Both of them were covered liberally in dust and Jack sneezed as Sam sat down beside him, Daniel on her other side; Teal'c was outside keeping watch.

'Sorry, sir.' Sam gave Jack an apologetic smile as Ferretti handed her some stew.

'No problem.' Jack said, gulping down a mouthful of the mixture. His eyes lingered on Yancy and Miznyk. They sat across from SG1, staring at Carter. 'How's it going?'

Daniel hurriedly swallowed his stew and waved his fork. 'We've discovered a section that tells the story of how the scholars studied the Stargate hoping to learn its secrets so they could leave.'

'We think they created the power buffer to draw enough power so when the envoy arrived, they could immediately dial out.' Sam continued.

'Unfortunately, that's the bad news.' Daniel said, concentrating on his food.

'Why is it bad news?' Teal'c asked.

'Because if they needed to create something that allowed them to leave, they obviously never found the mechanism that the envoy used to restore power to the Stargate.' Daniel rushed out around a mouthful of dinner.

'Is there any good news?' Jack asked as he stirred the stew listlessly.

'We've only uncovered a small proportion of the room's mural.' Daniel said. 'It's possible there's something else there.'

Jack sighed and nodded at Sam. 'I guess we're still going with your plan in the morning, Captain.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam nodded and tried to look confident.

'Exactly how do you intend to restore power to the MALP?' Miznyk asked snidely. The small man was huddled in a blanket although the temple remained at a comfortable temperature.

'My laptop battery seems unaffected by the power drain.' Sam said. 'I should be able to connect the transmitter on the MALP to it.'

'It won't work for long.' Miznyk pointed out.

'No,' Sam allowed, 'but it should work for long enough for us to get a message to the SGC.'

'So you say.' Miznyk muttered.

Sam flushed and looked down at her stew.

'Hey!' Jack snapped his brown eyes glaring at Miznyk. He stabbed a finger at the scientist. 'No party poopers allowed.' He put his stew down and checked his watch. 'We should turn in soon. We have an early start tomorrow.'

'I think we should continue with the mural, Jack.' Daniel suggested. 'It's possible we'll discover something.'

'Yancy can help you.' Ferretti nudged SG2's archaeologist. 'You're all finished with the gold room, right?'

'Well, the room Doctor Jackson's examining is quite small, it would be a tight fit with three of us. I'm sure he and Captain Carter would do better alone.' Yancy avoided looking at the blonde Air Force officer as he spoke.

Jack stiffened and he saw a flash of distress in Sam's eyes before she looked down at her meal.

'There's plenty of room for all of us.' Daniel said blithely, seemingly unaware of the undercurrents.

'Really, Doctor Jackson, I think…'

'Perhaps you should assist Daniel, Doctor Yancy, rather than myself.' Sam said, interrupting the man's stumbling explanation. She met Yancy's surprised gaze challengingly. 'You've got the correct skills and expertise after all.'

Daniel suddenly looked up at Sam as though the subtext of the conversation had just become apparent to him. 'I'd appreciate your help, Sam.'

'Carter's right, Daniel.' Jack stepped in. He gestured at Yancy. 'You and Yancy can continue with the room. Carter needs to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to work on her plan tomorrow.'

Daniel looked as though he was about to argue but at Jack's hard stare, he shoved in another spoonful of stew and kept silent. Sam set her stew down; she'd barely eaten more than a couple of mouthfuls but the tension around the small group had robbed her of her appetite.

Jack fought the urge to sigh heavily. 'Ferretti, why don't you and your team take over the watch from Teal'c. I'll take the end of the rotation.'

Ferretti cleared his throat. 'Yes, sir.'

Sam frowned. 'Sir, I can take a watch…'

'Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, Carter, remember?' Jack said lightly. 'We need you alert tomorrow to save our collective asses.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam said quietly.

Miznyk snorted. 'Like that's the real reason.'

Jack and Daniel both glared at him.

Sam got to her feet. 'If you'll excuse me, I think I'll get some air before I turn in.' She didn't wait for Jack's permission but immediately headed out of the temple.

'You're an idiot, Miznyk.' Jack muttered. He caught Daniel's arm before the younger man could move. 'I've got this.' He headed out of the main hall and down the narrow corridor that led to the outside.

o-O-o

Sam breathed in deeply as she stepped outside before she wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach.

'Are you alright, Captain Carter?'

Teal's low voice rumbled over to her and she turned her head to nod at him, plastering a patently false smile on her face. 'I'm fine, Teal'c.'

He raised an eyebrow.

She sighed. 'It's just…I'm just worried about tomorrow.' She rammed her hands into her pockets and stared out at the night sky.

'I have every confidence that your plan will be successful.' Teal'c said, firmly grasping the staff weapon as his eyes continued to scan the area.

'You're the only one who is.' Sam blurted out.

His eyes snapped to her and she looked away.

'Sorry, Teal'c.' She waved a hand at him. 'Forget I said anything.'

'You believe the others do not consider your plan to be achievable?' Teal'c pressed gently.

Sam sighed and didn't answer him.

'Colonel O'Neill has expressed faith in your plan.' Teal'c said, trying to reassure her.

Sam shuffled, struggling with the desire to confide in someone before giving into it. 'I know he said it but I don't think he meant it, Teal'c.' She rubbed her arms. The Colonel might have opted for a plan but it was obvious he would prefer to find the power mechanism to switch the Stargate on that Daniel had discovered in the mural story. He was obviously uncertain of her given his decision about the watch. 'I don't think Colonel O'Neill has faith in my ideas or in me anymore and why should he? I've been possessed by a Goa'uld.'

His eyebrow rose a little further. 'Perhaps it is not Colonel O'Neill's faith in you that you doubt but your own.'

Sam winced at the accuracy of the Jaffa's statement. 'Maybe.' She admitted. 'I'm not sure my plan's going to work. There are so many things that could go wrong; I might not be able to get the MALP to power up, or the message sent, and the timing…'

'I have seen you perform the impossible many times, Captain Carter.' Teal'c said comfortingly.

'But that was before.' Sam muttered even though his words warmed her. 'I just feel like I'm missing something, that's there's something obvious I haven't thought about or considered.' And Miznyk was clearly waiting to see her fall flat on her backside, Sam mused.

'Perhaps you should rest.' Teal'c suggested.

'You're probably right.' Sam said.

There was a sound behind them and they both turned to see Jack emerging from the doorway.

His shadowed eyes fell on Sam. 'Everything OK, Captain?'

'Yes, sir. I was just about to turn in.' Sam said formally. She reached over and squeezed Teal'c's arm. 'Thanks, Teal'c.'

The Jaffa inclined his head.

Jack watched her disappear back inside. He rubbed his eyes and turned to Teal'c. 'Tell me honestly, Teal'c, is she OK?'

'Were not you listening to our conversation?' Teal'c said mildly, looking over at his team-leader.

'Well, I…' Jack stuttered. He looked sheepish. 'You realised I was eavesdropping?'

'Indeed.'

'But you didn't say anything?'

'To do so would have humiliated Captain Carter.' Teal'c said.

'Yes.' Jack said slowly. 'Yes. It would.' He looked at his friend gratefully. 'Thanks.' He sighed deeply. 'I've obviously screwed this up enough already if Carter's questioning whether I have any faith in her.'

'Captain Carter is questioning her faith in herself.' Teal'c corrected gently, his expressions softening. 'She is not unaware that her presence here has not been welcomed by all.'

'She should be able to talk to me about it,' Jack winced at the bitterness of his tone; the jealous edge, 'about the whole thing.'

'I believe she is worried that to do so would alter your perception of her abilities.' Teal'c said.

'It wouldn't.' Jack denied immediately.

'Perhaps you should have this conversation with Captain Carter.' Teal'c murmured pointedly.

Jack sighed again and shoved a hand through his hair sending the short strands askew. 'Yeah, maybe I should.' He patted Teal'c's arm and headed inside.

He glanced briefly across at the dining area where Ferretti was playing cards with Taylor and Corrigan; Miznyk had retreated to his bedroll. Daniel and Yancy weren't present and Jack assumed they were back in the secret room. He walked over to the sleeping area he and Teal'c had set out earlier for SG1. Sam was already in her sleeping bag, curled up tightly into a ball. He could barely make out her mop of blonde hair. He hesitated wondering whether to check she was asleep and decided against disturbing her. He could talk to her in the morning, he determined as he shucked off his own jacket and lowered himself to the floor.

o-O-o

'_Jolinar!'_

_The shout had her turning back as other people, people she knew and cared for, rushed by her. There was a general air of panic and fear around her. The ground beneath her feet and the walls of the tunnel she was in rocked. Something was happening; something bad. A Jaffa blasted a staff weapon near to her… _

_A slim built man with short brown hair and blue eyes ran up and her heart jumped at the sight of him. Love swamped her along with a feeling of security and safety even though she instinctively knew that they were in a lot of danger._

_His eyes warmed at the sight of her but remained serious. 'You have to activate the Chappa'ai. Quickly, Jolinar!'_

_She hurried to the DHD; the glyphs lit up with each new symbol she pressed. The sound of the Stargate activating filled the chamber…_

Sam woke abruptly, gasping for air. The dream faded as quickly as it had come leaving her only with the faint edge of remembered panic. She rubbed her hands over her face and looked around.

Teal'c sat cross-legged with his eyes closed at the far side of their sleeping area; both Daniel's and Jack's sleeping bags were empty. She checked her watch. Daniel was probably still working away in the mural room and the Colonel must have begun the last watch. A snore from a member of SG2 travelled across the room and Sam crawled out of her makeshift bed. She picked up her jacket as she made her way out of the temple desperate to feel the air on her skin. She breathed in a lungful of fresh air as she made it outside.

'Captain?' Jack kept his voice low not wanting to alarm her or wake anyone.

Sam turned to look at him slowly. He sat on the top step of the temple. 'Sorry, sir. I couldn't sleep.' She was surprised when he nodded understandingly and patted the ground next to him.

'Make yourself comfortable, Captain.'

She moved over to him cautiously, lowering herself into a sitting position before wrapping her arms around her knees and staring up at the purple sky.

They sat in silence for a long while.

'You want to talk about it, Sam?' Jack asked eventually.

She started at his use of her first name. 'Sir?'

'Your nightmare.' Jack said gently. 'You want to talk about it?'

'Not really, sir.' Sam said.

Jack tried hard not to feel disappointed. 'Yeah, I wouldn't want to talk about it with my CO either.'

Sam offered him a small smile and his spirits rose a little. 'It's not that, sir.' Her lips twitched again at his patent look of disbelief. 'Well, maybe a little,' she admitted, 'it's more…I don't really remember it.' She finished in a rush. 'All I remember is that I was in danger and I was…'

'Scared.' Jack supplied as her voice trailed away.

'Yes, sir.' Sam didn't look at him.

Jack looked over at her and glanced back at the doorway to the temple. He debated for a moment before giving in. 'C'mere.' Before she could protest his arm was around her. She breathed in the scent of him and snuggled a little closer, her hands resting lightly on her knees. A warm feeling stole over her as she rested her head on his shoulder; his arm was tight around hers. She felt so safe and secure, she mused, like nothing could ever hurt her again. She hated the idea that she might disappoint him.

'I don't think my plan's going to work, sir.' Sam admitted, without raising her head from his chest.

Teal'c had been right about her doubting herself, Jack realised. 'It'll work.' He said confidently.

'How can you be so sure?' Sam wondered, raising her head to look at him.

'Because I have faith in you.' Jack answered truthfully.

The sincerity shining in his brown eyes took her breath away for a second. 'What if I make a mistake and ruin it?' Sam asked.

Jack held her gaze. 'Then you'll make a mistake. We all do make mistakes, Carter, even you.'

She nodded and dropped her head back on his shoulder.

'Besides, this isn't such a bad place to get marooned,' Jack said lightly, 'nice sunrises,' he waved at the one beginning in front of them, 'decent temple. It kinda reminds me a little of Argos…'

Sam sat up abruptly startling Jack. 'That's it!'

'What?' Jack asked.

'You've done it, sir.' Sam jumped to her feet.

'Done what?' Jack asked as he rose to follow her into the temple. He entered to see her waking Teal'c. Jack hurriedly woke Ferretti for him to assume the watch before he followed his team-mates into the main hall to find Teal'c ushering Daniel back into the room. They all stood in front of the statue.

'What's going on?' Daniel asked Jack.

'An excellent question.' Jack noted. He looked at Sam. 'Captain?'

'What does this place remind you of?' Sam asked excitedly.

Jack looked at her blankly before their conversation outside filtered back to him. 'Argos.'

'Exactly.' Sam beamed at him. 'I knew the statue reminded me of something yesterday but I couldn't work it out. This hall is laid out exactly like the one at Argos.'

'You're right.' Daniel said looking around.

'So you see where I'm going with this?' Sam asked delighted.

Jack and Teal'c both looked at each other bemused; Daniel clapped his hands and pointed at her. 'The statue was hiding a transmitter that controlled the nanocytes.'

'Exactly.' She gestured up at the statue. 'What if this statue is hiding a transmitter that controls the power to the Stargate?'

Jack frowned. 'That would be quite a coincidence, Captain.'

'No, I think she might be right, Jack.' Daniel said. 'The mural depicts the envoy making some kind of religious intonation to the statue. It's possible he was providing it with some kind of password to alter the setting.'

'Sir, if I'm right then we can find the transmitter and shut it down. That should remove whatever's affecting the power.' Sam said confidently. 'If we do this now, we'll still have enough time to try the other plan if I'm wrong.'

Jack considered her words before he looked back over at her with a sigh. 'Let's do it.'

An hour, one toppled Hera statue and one fixed alien transmitter later, Sam fiddled with a power cable and smiled as a steady orange glow returned to the DHD. 'Power's on, sir.' She confirmed happily.

'Dial her up, Carter.' Jack said.

'That crystal is damaged.' Miznyk muttered as he adjusted his pack. 'It will never hold up.'

'Have a little faith, Miznyk.' Jack said cheerfully, his brown eyes twinkled at Sam.

She nodded and dialled the Earth address; she held her breath as she pressed down on the control crystal. The Stargate activated with a satisfying whoosh and the entire group beamed at her.

Daniel dived through the blue puddle; Teal'c followed him.

Ferretti ushered his team and Doctor Miznyk up the steps. 'Hey, we're even going to be home in time for Christmas.' He winked at Sam before he stepped through the wormhole.

Jack caught Sam's arm. 'Good job, Captain.' He said proudly.

'Thank you, sir.' Sam smiled.

'Looks like that damaged crystal withstood the pressure after all.' Jack noted, placing his baseball cap on as they walked up the steps together. 'All it needed was a little faith.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam's lips twitched.

He had a sudden thought and he looked over at her as they came to a stop on the top step. 'Carter, you do know I'm not talking about the crystal, right?'

'Yes, sir.' Sam admitted. 'I got that.'

Jack acknowledged her words with a nod. 'Shall we, Captain?' He invited her into the wormhole with a wide sweep of his arm.

She smiled at him and stepped into the blue horizon. He grinned and followed her home.


	23. A Prisoner Still

**Author's Note:** Sam/Team friendship with a slight emphasis on Sam/Teal'c friendship and Jack/Daniel friendship. Sam/Jacob relationship. Hammond/Jacob friendship. Sam/Hammond friendship.

**Prisoners Recap:** _SG1 are leaving a planet when they run into a man who begs them for help. They take him with them but all are captured and subjected to the Taldor. They find themselves summarily sentenced to life imprison for helping the man who is an escaping murderer. They are sent through the Stargate to Hadante, a prison planet. As they adjust to life in prison, __Hammond__ tries to secure their release without success. _

_The team look for a way to activate the Stargate and meet Linea, a mature woman with scientific skills who seems to be feared by the other male prisoners. Linea claims she was imprisoned for trying to help the planet survive a plague and in exchange for escaping with them, she offers them a power source; an organic root which when activated by a chemical triggers a cold fusion reaction. SG1 and Linea escape unknowing along with another prisoner. _

_While Sam gets the details of Linea's chemical that initiates cold fusion, SG3 bring the escapee to SG1's debriefing with __Hammond__. He tells them a horrifying tale that Linea was actually responsible for a plague that killed millions; she was known as the Destroyer of Worlds. Before they are able to react, Linea stuns Sam and another scientist. They recover just in time to witness Linea escaping through the Stargate having rigged the computer to simulate an auto-destruct and total shutdown. She leaves a message thanking them for their kindness and stating all debts are paid. SG1 comes to terms with the fact that they let out a mass-murderer from prison. _

**A Prisoner Still **

'No sir, I realise that…' George Hammond clutched the phone closer and leaned back in his red leather chair. He reminded himself that General Bail was a four star General who would not appreciate being called an idiot even if that was what the man was; an idiot of galactic proportions. 'Sir…' he tried again to break into the monologue of the other man and sighed when he failed.

He rubbed his blue eyes and briefly glanced out of the small internal window into the briefing room. He could see the impatient pacing of Jack O'Neill in front of the observation window and he shifted his chair to block the Colonel from view. It was all Jack's fault he was having this conversation, Hammond grumbled inwardly. The Colonel had turned up at his office half an hour before with the request that Hammond had been anticipating for days; that Captain Samantha Carter's base restriction be lifted. Apparently, the request had been precipitated by her wish to visit her father in Washington on his impending birthday.

Hammond pressed his portly body deeper into the chair's cushions. The restrictions on the Captain had been in place ever since the death of the Goa'uld symbiote she had carried for a short time. A precaution just in case the medical evidence that the Goa'uld had died and the belief that Sam was herself again proved to be false. Hammond had ordered the restrictions himself but it had been his chain of command that refused to revoke them despite the month and a half that had passed without incident or any sign that Sam was compromised. Hammond had done what he could to lessen the restriction; he had reinstated her full security clearance and authorised her return to full duty including off-world missions.

A pause on the other end of the phone provided him with an opportunity to speak and he jumped in. 'Sir, there is no evidence that Samantha Carter's actions are being influenced in any way by her experience with the Goa'uld.'

'Your own report on the current situation would suggest otherwise.' Bail retorted.

Hammond repressed the urge to sigh. 'The current situation' as Bail had coined it was the base recovering from a total shutdown of operations caused by an escaping alien called Linea. SG1 had met the elderly woman when they had been unjustly incarcerated on a prison planet. They had escaped with her help and brought her with them. Unfortunately, they hadn't known Linea's prison sentence was truly justified, that she was a mass murderer. They had only discovered the information too late to prevent Linea escaping from the SGC; they were only lucky all she had done was shut down the base.

'Sir,' Hammond began forcefully, 'I don't see how any of the current situation can be ascribed to Captain Carter…'

'Did your own report not indicate that Captain Carter provided Linea access to the base computer?' Bail asked harshly.

'Yessir, but I authorised that access.' Hammond said quickly. 'It was our belief at the time that Linea was simply an alien scientist with knowledge we could utilise.'

'And is it not true that belief was based on Captain Carter's judgement that Linea had been unjustly imprisoned like SG1?'

'Colonel O'Neill ordered the Captain to have the discussion with Linea about her circumstances but she had no way of verifying the information Linea provided her with; none of them did.' Hammond said firmly. 'When Linea arrived at the SGC she had gained the trust of the whole team not just Captain Carter.' His fingers clenched around the phone. 'Mistakes were made, General, but Captain Carter is not solely responsible for what occurred.'

'Which is the only reason why she isn't being taken into custody, General.' Bail noted bluntly. 'However, the extent of her involvement certainly precludes us from altering any of the current restrictions.'

'General, I'm asking you to reconsider.' Hammond said desperately, sensing he was about to lose the argument. 'I know you are aware of General Carter's health issues and…'

'And I also know that because of your friendship with General Carter that you're too close to make an objective judgement in this matter, Hammond.' Bail snapped.

There was a moment of startled silence.

Bail audibly sighed. 'Look, George, I sympathise with your position but we can't take the risk, not until we're completely certain Captain Carter has not been compromised.'

'May I ask what the Captain needs to do to achieve that?' Hammond responded testily.

'Not giving a mass murderer an opportunity to destroy the base and escape would be a start.' Bail shot back.

The tense moment of silence descended rapidly into awkwardness.

'What's your current status?' Bail asked eventually.

'Our technical team have restored power and are working on rebuilding the computer core from the back-up systems.' Hammond reported dutifully. 'We're expecting to have the Stargate back in operation in another twelve hours.'

'Captain Carter is working with the team?' Bail asked.

'Yes, sir.' Hammond said, trying to keep the defensiveness out of his voice. 'She is the expert on gate operations.'

'Very well. Keep me apprised.'

Bail hung up and Hammond found himself listening to the dull burr of the dial-tone. He replaced the phone and sighed before pulling himself to his feet. He wasn't going to enjoy the next conversation, he mused, as he walked over to his office door and opened it. He gestured for O'Neill to enter.

'Have a seat, Jack.' Hammond said as he closed the door and headed back to his desk.

'This can't be good.' Jack acknowledged as he sat down. 'You always ask me to sit down and call me Jack when there's bad news, sir.' He added as Hammond looked at him questioningly.

Hammond gave a small snort of laughter as he retook his own seat before he sobered. 'They didn't go for it.'

'What was their excuse this time?' Jack asked resigned.

'The current situation.' Hammond repeated, picking up a fountain pen and gesturing with it. 'They feel certain decisions taken by Captain Carter are a cause for continued concern.'

Jack rubbed his hand through his hair in frustration. 'What happened was not Carter's fault.'

'I know that,' Hammond said firmly, 'but unfortunately she was arguably involved in the two decisions that precipitated Linea having the opportunity to destroy this base both in her providing access to the base computer and in confirming Linea had been unjustly imprisoned like yourselves.'

'I made the call that Linea could be trusted and for us to make the deal.' Jack waved a hand at Hammond. 'If anyone carries the can for Linea coming back with us, it's me. Hell, even in the unlikely event Linea had told us the truth, I'm not sure I would have made a different decision. My priority was to get my team home.' Of course in _that_ event he would have shot her at the first available opportunity, Jack mused to himself.

Hammond nodded understandingly. 'And I made the call Linea could have access to the base computer,' he noted, 'unfortunately the Pentagon doesn't see it that way.' He leaned back. 'Captain Carter is on probation in their eyes.'

'For how long, sir?' Jack asked brusquely. 'The rest of her natural life?'

'I'm sure it won't come to that, Colonel.' The flash in Jack's brown eyes indicated he understood that Hammond's use of his rank was a gentle rebuke. The General sighed. 'It's our responsibility to ensure that during the time she is on probation, Captain Carter is not placed in another situation where her integrity may be called into question.'

Jack nodded. 'I'll inform her of the decision, sir.'

'Actually, Jack, I'd like to be the one to tell her.' Hammond said slowly. His request wasn't totally contradictory to protocol but because of his friendship with Jacob Carter, he was careful to maintain a certain level of formality in his dealings with Sam, including all command decisions usually being communicated via her CO.

Jack hesitated for a heartbeat before he nodded. 'Of course, sir.'

Hammond gave a sharp nod. 'Dismissed, Colonel.' He waited until Jack had departed before he ordered an Airman to ask Sam to report to his office. It only took a few minutes before she appeared.

Sam rapped on the open door. 'You wanted to see me, sir?'

Hammond waved her in. 'Close the door, Captain, and take a seat.'

Sam followed her orders and looked inquisitively at the General.

'How are things coming?' Hammond asked, delaying the news for a moment longer.

'We're still on track to have everything operational in another twelve hours, sir.' Sam said briskly. She nudged an errant strand of blonde hair back behind her ear. 'The computer core rebuild is going well. It doesn't look like we lost any data.'

'Good, good.' Hammond crossed his hands over his stomach and regarded her regretfully. 'Colonel O'Neill brought your request for leave to my attention earlier.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam leaned forward slightly.

'The Pentagon is not prepared to lift your restriction at present.' Hammond said gently.

Her blue eyes dimmed with disappointment and he saw her try to rally. 'Does this have anything to do with what happened with Linea, sir?'

'I would be lying if I said it had nothing, Captain.' Hammond allowed. He sighed. 'Off the record, Sam?'

Her eyes widened in surprise but she nodded.

'I doubt the restrictions would have been lifted even if Linea had turned out to be exactly what you all originally believed her to be.' Hammond shook his bald head ruefully. 'They're not ready yet.'

'Can I ask when you think they will be ready?' Sam asked. She'd understood the restriction originally but it had stopped feeling like a safeguard and had started to feel like a subtle and unfair punishment.

'It's a fair question.' Hammond acknowledged. He met her eyes apologetically. 'The only answer I can give you is until the Pentagon is satisfied.'

'I see.' She looked down at the desk.

'Sam, try not to take this personally.' Hammond advised softly. 'I trust you; Colonel O'Neill trusts you; your team trust you. Others just need a little more time, that's all.'

'It's OK, Uncle George.' Sam attempted a smile. 'It was just…my father invited me to Washington to celebrate his birthday so I was hoping…especially as I missed Christmas.' She shrugged. 'He'll understand.'

Hammond nodded although his heart sank. It was unlike Jacob to request attendance on his birthday but Jacob had confided in Hammond a few months before that he had cancer. To his knowledge the other man hadn't informed his children yet because he was sure if Jake had said something Sam would have informed him. Inviting Sam to celebrate his birthday only to tell her the bad news about his cancer was classic Jacob. In some ways, Hammond was pleased he could refuse the request but in others…'I'm sorry, Sam.' He gestured at her. 'I could speak with him for you if you'd like.'

'Thanks for the offer, Uncle George,' Sam responded absently, 'but I think I should probably do that myself.'

Hammond leaned across his desk. 'OK but don't forget I'm here if you need anything; anything at all even if it's just to talk.'

She took in his compassionate face and resisted the urge to ask for a hug like she had when she had been a child. She straightened in her chair. 'Thank you, sir.'

He recognised the return to formality with a slight inclination to his head.

'If that's all, sir, I should return to the control room.' Sam said.

'Of course.' Hammond nodded. 'Proceed, Captain.'

Sam stood up and swiftly left the room, leaving a pensive looking General staring after her.

o-O-o

'OK. Tests are complete. We're going for a full dial-up this time. Technicians stand by.' Sam announced over the PA system. She nodded at Sergeant Walter Harriman who initiated the dialling sequence.

'Chevron one encoded.'

Sam checked her monitor; everything looked good. She brought up a second set of diagnostics absently listening to the run-down of the dial-up.

'Chevron four encoded.'

She frowned over the figures on her screen and made an adjustment to the power ratio.

'Chevron seven locked.'

Her head snapped up as the wormhole mushroomed outward and settled back into the familiar blue puddle.

'Sending MALP.' Sam confirmed, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

'MALP will reach destination in five, four, three, two, one.' The Sergeant beamed at her. 'We have a successful transit; reading data.'

'Good.' Sam leaned over him to check the data was coming through normally. She shifted her gaze back to the gate room to where Sergeant Siler was taking readings. 'Sergeant?'

Siler looked up at them. 'Readings are within normal parameters, ma'am.'

Sam smiled. 'Shutdown the gate, Sergeant.'

Walter nodded and the shimmering blue light winked out.

'Captain?'

Sam started at Hammond's voice and turned around swiftly. She almost smiled at the sight of him stood quietly directly behind the technicians. 'All tests have been completed, sir. The gate is fully operational and we've actually managed to make an improvement with the energy efficiency, sir.'

Hammond beamed at her before his gaze drifted around the control room to encompass everyone. 'Excellent work, everyone.' He gestured at Walter. 'Order the next change of personnel to the control room, Sergeant, you are all dismissed. You should consider yourselves off-duty for the next twenty-four hours.' He could see the tiredness etched in the faces of the small team; they had worked non-stop.

'Yes, sir.' Walter said happily, reaching for the radio mike.

Sam began to tidy her folders and tools away. Shower, she thought longingly, shower and bed.

'Uh, ma'am?'

Sam looked up at a young female civilian technician who smiled nervously at her. 'A group of us were going to head to O'Malley's to celebrate if you'd like to join us.'

'Thank you,' Sam plastered a smile on her face, 'but I need to stay on base. Maybe you can have a drink for me.'

'Yes, ma'am.' The technician left and the others followed after her as the replacement personnel arrived; Walter gave Sam a sympathetic smile on his way past.

Sam ignored the lump in her throat and focused on packing the last of her equipment away. She lugged the stack of folders back to her lab and dumped them on her desk. Shower, she thought tiredly. Her eyes snagged on the phone on the wall. Maybe she should call her father, she contemplated; get it over and done with. She crossed to it and picked it. She put it back down. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea when she was so tired. She sighed and picked it back up, dialling the number before she could change her mind again.

'Carter.'

She almost smiled at her father's crisp answer. 'Hi Dad.'

'Sam.' Jacob Carter turned the bedside light on and glanced at the clock. 'Is everything OK? It must be the middle of the night there.'

Her brain suddenly registered the time difference. 'I wanted to catch you before you went to work.' She covered hastily. 'How are you?'

Jacob ignored the roiling sensation in his stomach. The treatments he was taking caused nausea first thing in the morning. He rubbed at his eyes. 'I'm OK, kiddo.' He lied easily. 'You?'

'Good.' Sam lied. 'Listen. I just wanted to call about your birthday next week.'

'Great. What time's your flight?' Jacob asked as he shifted into a sitting position and took a deep breath. Please God, he prayed silently, just let me make it through this call with my kid without throwing up.

'That's just it, Dad.' Sam twirled the extension cord between her fingers. 'I didn't get the leave.'

'You didn't get the…' His shock momentarily trumped the nausea. 'Why the hell not?'

'I'm just needed here right now.' Sam muttered.

'To analyse deep space radar telemetry. Right.' Jacob responded sarcastically. 'I'll speak with George and get this straightened out.'

'No!' Sam almost shouted down the phone. 'Dad, you can't do that. Look, it was just too short notice. I'll come visit as soon as I get the chance, I promise.'

Jacob struggled against a wave of nausea. 'Fine.'

'Dad.' Sam closed her eyes. 'Please don't be like that. You know I don't have a choice…'

'Sam, I've got to go.' Jacob managed to get the words out and kept his breathing shallow to keep the sickness at bay. 'I'll call you later.' He slammed the phone down and hurried to the bathroom.

Sam looked at the silent phone in her hand and carefully replaced it in its cradle. Her chest tightened as her heart physically ached on a wave of disappointment. Why did he always have to be like that? Her throat closed up and her eyes stung with tears. She struggled against them for a long moment before she stumbled back and sat heavily on her lab stool, the tears running freely down her pale face.

'Captain Carter.'

Sam hurriedly swiped away the moisture on her skin. 'Teal'c.' She slipped off the stool and turned to face him. 'What can I do for you?'

'I was on my way to my quarters when I saw the light on in your lab.' Teal'c explained. His dark eyes roamed over her face and the tell-tale track marks of tears. 'Are you well, Captain Carter?'

'Just a little tired, Teal'c.' Sam rubbed her upper arms and shrugged. 'We finally got the gate up and running.'

'As I knew you would.' Teal'c murmured. He shifted his position, clasping his hands behind his back.

She turned away and reached for a gadget on her lab bench. 'The rest of them went for a drink in town.'

'I see.' Teal'c waited patiently.

'I couldn't go because I'm still restricted to base.' Sam said, waving the small device at him. 'Just like I can't go to Washington to see my Dad.' Her eyes stared blankly at the wall as she threw the instrument back on the bench. 'It's so unfair.' She complained bitterly. 'I feel like I'm still a prisoner.'

'Indeed.'

His quiet agreement had her spinning toward him and she slapped a hand over her eyes in mortification and slumped to lean on the bench with her elbows propping her up. 'I'm sorry, Teal'c.' She dropped her hand and looked at him apologetically. 'Here I am moaning about being stuck on the base when you're in the same boat.'

Teal'c blinked. 'We are not in a boat, Captain Carter.'

Sam's lips lifted briefly. 'It's an expression, Teal'c. It means we're in the same situation.'

'But we are not in the same situation.' Teal'c contradicted her gently.

She blinked at him. 'Huh?'

'I carry an enemy of your people within me.' Teal'c said. 'If I roam freely and am injured in some way, I may not be able to prevent the Goa'uld I carry from taking a human host.'

Sam flinched and slid back onto the stool.

'My restriction to this base and my escort when allowed beyond it are a necessary protection for this world.' Teal'c continued calmly. 'You no longer carry a Goa'uld symbiote. Such precautions are unnecessary.'

'I wish the Pentagon saw it that way.' Sam murmured. 'I mean, I understand a little; I was a Goa'uld.' Tok'ra, whispered a voice in her head. She shook herself; pushed the voice away. Her eyes flickered over him. 'I wish I could be as understanding you.'

His chin went up. 'By being here, I am free.' His eyes met hers with compassion. 'You are not.'

She looked away from him with a sad smile. 'You know you're not really making me feel better here, Teal'c.'

The Jaffa's face softened. 'Do you not believe your freedom will be restored, Captain Carter?'

'Eventually it will, I guess.' Sam admitted. 'It's just…' she looked up almost shyly, 'stupid things mostly. I miss my things and my own bed and the pictures of my family, my Mom.' She blinked back another rush of tears. 'I just wish I could have gone to see my Dad. I can't remember the last time he invited me to visit and…' her voice cut off on an almost sob before she regained it. 'He sounded so disappointed.'

'You are tired.' Teal'c stated gently. 'You should rest.'

'You're probably right.' Sam said. She slid off the stool and walked past him, pausing to rest her hand lightly on his shoulder before moving on.

o-O-o

'My God, you look like crap.' Daniel Jackson pushed his glasses up his nose as he closed his car door and looked over at Jack climbing out of the cab of his truck. The older man glared at him but Daniel ignored it, his eyes roaming with concern over the shadows under the military man's eyes.

'Good morning to you too, Daniel.' Jack snapped, slamming his door shut and striding past the archaeologist to the base entrance.

Daniel easily caught up with him. 'Are you OK?'

'I'm fine, Daniel.' Jack said testily.

'You look like you didn't sleep.' Daniel noted.

Jack glared at him again but focused on getting past the security point rather than answering. He didn't wait for Daniel at the elevator and the archaeologist had to catch up with him for the second time in as many minutes.

'Wow, you're in a grumpy mood this morning.' Daniel said as the elevator doors slid shut and they began the descent into the mountain.

'Whereas you've obviously had your coffee already.' Jack observed.

Daniel shrugged. 'You look like you could do with some.'

Jack rocked back on his heels under the other man's concern. The truth was he hadn't slept well the night before. He'd been too angry about the decision on Sam to fall asleep and when he had, he had been plagued with nightmares about his time in prison on Earth. He smoothed a hand over the short bristles of his brown and grey hair. 'Yeah,' he conceded finally, 'maybe you're right.'

'You want to talk about it?' Daniel asked cautiously.

The Colonel looked over at him, irritation warring with exasperated amusement at Daniel's tenacity. 'If I say no are you going to drop it?'

'Probably not.' Daniel admitted.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open before Jack could formulate a reply. They both stared at Teal'c who stood, dressed in civvies and a baseball cap, waiting for them.

'We need to leave the base.' The Jaffa said.

'We do?' Jack asked.

'Indeed.' Teal'c confirmed, getting into the elevator with them and pressing the button to take them up again.

'Why?' asked Daniel, crossing his arms over his chest.

'I require your assistance in a matter of some urgency.' Teal'c said.

Jack looked at Daniel who looked back at him bemused. 'Which is?'

'Captain Carter is unhappy at her continued restriction to base.' Teal'c explained solemnly.

Jack visibly winced. 'She didn't take the news she couldn't go to Washington well.'

'Would you?' Daniel bristled. 'She's done nothing wrong and they're treating her like a prisoner!'

'I know, Daniel.'

'Shouldn't we do something about that?' Daniel asked passionately, gesturing at Jack.

'Hey, we're doing the best we can.' Jack argued, flushing and ignoring the bite of defensiveness that edged his words. 'Hammond spent over thirty minutes on the phone with the Pentagon yesterday. It's just going to take time.'

'What if she ends up restricted to base forever?' Daniel suggested. 'Are we still going to accept it then?'

' Hammond won't allow it to go on indefinitely, Daniel.' Jack said. 'And neither will I.'

'But…'

'I wish to make Captain Carter feel better.' Teal'c interrupted Daniel before the younger man could begin arguing in earnest.

'So what's the plan?' Jack asked interested.

'She expressed a wish for her own belongings.' Teal'c noted.

'So you want us to go to her place and bring some stuff back for her.' Daniel surmised.

Teal'c's dark eyes flickered to him. 'Indeed.'

'Sounds like a plan to me.' Jack said his mood brightening.

'We will require your truck, O'Neill.' Teal'c said.

Jack frowned. 'Exactly how much stuff were you planning to shift, Teal'c?'

The Jaffa didn't answer him as they exited the elevator. An hour later, Jack unlocked the apartment door and pushed it open, ushering the other two men ahead of him before he entered and closed the door behind him. They all stood awkwardly in the living area of the small apartment.

Daniel gestured at the pictures on the wall. 'Hey! Sam finally got round to putting her pictures up.'

'Actually, she didn't.' Jack shuffled under Daniel's gaze. 'I had a spare hour when I came over to check on things the other day.'

'I'm sure she'll appreciate it, Jack.'

'Well, I guess we should gather…' Jack waved vaguely, 'stuff.'

Teal'c headed for the photos on the mantelpiece while Jack led Daniel towards the bedroom. They both hesitated at the doorway before Jack sighed and took a step inside.

'I don't know about this, Jack.' Daniel whispered.

'Daniel?' Jack leaned in towards him.

'What?'

'Why are we whispering?' Jack asked.

Daniel smiled sheepishly. 'Sorry.' He said in his normal voice. 'I just think we shouldn't be poking around in her bedroom. She's going to be mad.'

'You sound like you're scared of her, Daniel.' Jack commented.

'Like you aren't.' Daniel muttered under his breath.

'What?' Jack asked blankly.

'What?' Daniel responded blandly.

They glared at each other.

'Why don't you see if you can find a bag?' Jack suggested. 'I'll get some of her things together.' He wandered over to the dresser and picked up a music box. He opened it curious. The box was empty but the strains of a classical tune drifted out.

'That sounds nice.' Daniel mused as he rooted in the wardrobe.

'Swan Lake.' Jack said. He let the melody wash over, appreciating the music even with the tinny quality of the box's mechanism.

'Jack.'

Jack started and looked over at Daniel to find him staring back at him with concern.

'Are you OK?' Daniel asked. He'd had to almost yell to get Jack's attention.

'I told you I'm fine.' Jack snapped the box shut and place it on the bed. 'We should take this with us.'

Daniel looked over at him. 'What's going on with you?'

'Will you drop it? I said I was fine.' Jack said dismissively.

'And it's obvious you're not.' Daniel countered.

They glared at each other again.

'Is it what happened with Linea?' Daniel asked, pressing to get an answer.

'No.' Jack denied. 'It's not about what happened with Linea.'

'Because I mean I think we're all upset at letting Linea out of the prison.'

'I said it wasn't Linea.' Jack could hear his voice rising in frustration.

'It wasn't your fault, Jack.' Daniel continued seemingly oblivious to Jack's denials. 'There was no way we could have known.'

'I know. It wasn't what happened with Linea.' Jack all but yelled it.

'Then what?' Daniel shot back.

Jack held his worried gaze for a moment before dropping his own. 'Being in the prison,' he admitted in a quiet voice, 'it kind of,' he gestured with Carter's teddy bear, 'it kind of brought some stuff back.'

'From when you were in prison before.' Daniel surmised.

'Yeah.' Jack fingered a worn ear on the bear.

'What happened?' Daniel asked curious.

'We were in Iraq.' Jack said. His eyes met Daniel's resolutely. 'We weren't exactly there on official business if you know what I mean.'

Daniel nodded slowly.

'I got shot on the way out. The CO thought I was dead and left me. I saw the chopper leave.'

'They left you?!' Daniel's mix of incredulity and anger eased the tight feeling in Jack's chest.

'They left me. I spent four months in an Iraqi prison before I got out.' Jack murmured. 'They'd told Sara I was dead.'

'Jesus, Jack.' Daniel shook his head.

Jack shrugged. 'It was a long time ago.'

'I'm sorry, Jack.' Daniel said.

'Why are you sorry?' Jack asked surprised. 'You didn't do anything.'

'I kind of pushed you into telling me though.' Daniel admitted.

Jack looked at Daniel's guilty expression and sighed. 'Actually I feel better.'

'You do?' Daniel's face lit up. 'Great.'

'Yeah, just don't do it too often.' Jack said. He threw the bear across the bed. 'We'd better pack that with the rest of her stuff.'

Teal'c walked in his hands filled with framed photos. 'I have selected some photographs for Captain Carter.'

'Excellent.' Jack commented as the Jaffa passed them to Daniel. He clapped his hands together. 'Right. I think we're done here.'

Teal'c frowned. 'Captain Carter expressed a wish for her bed.'

Jack and Daniel both froze. They exchanged a glance.

'No, Teal'c.' Jack said firmly.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

'Don't give me the eyebrow.' Jack said, shaking his finger at the Jaffa.

Teal'c altered his stance; feet firmly planted a foot apart and his hands clasped behind his back.

'We are not sneaking a bed onto the base, Teal'c,' Jack repeated, 'and that's final.'

o-O-o

Hammond annotated SG3's report from their study of P2A509 and made a mental note to send SG9 to begin negotiations with the local populace the team had found there. His phone rang and he picked it up smoothly. 'Hammond.'

'Sir,' his aide said nervously, 'I have a General Carter on the line insisting on speaking with you.'

Hammond breathed in sharply. 'Put him through, son.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Jacob, it's good to…'

Jacob ignored him and jumped in. 'George, have I ever asked you for anything?'

'Well, there was that one time in Korea…' Hammond tried to interject.

'What the hell is this I hear about you denying Sam some leave?' Jacob jumped right to the point. 'You had to know why I wanted her in Washington!'

'I didn't have a choice, Jake.' Hammond tried to explain.

'Is it her CO? Did he deny her the leave?' Jacob moved to his next assumption.

'Jake…'

'Is he some tight-ass? Is he giving Sam a hard time?' Jacob asked furiously. 'Because if he is I can come down there and kick his butt.'

'General!' Hammond barked. 'You are out of line.'

There was a stunned silence on the other end.

'Now, instead of calling me and shouting the odds perhaps we can discuss this civilly.' Hammond continued, taking a deep breath.

'I'm sorry, George.' Jacob said, sincerely contrite. 'I really am.'

'What's going on, Jake?' Hammond asked, softening his tone and abandoning the report as he leaned back in his chair.

'I got the prognosis.' Jacob admitted. 'It doesn't look good.'

'How bad is it?' Hammond said quietly.

'Put it this way; I think this is going to be my last birthday.' Jacob slumped into a chair and rubbed his head tiredly. 'I need to tell Sam. I know I'm asking you for a huge favour here and I know Sam will be pissed I interfered but please; authorise her leave.'

'Jake, I can't.' Hammond closed his eyes briefly. 'You don't know how much I want to but I just can't.'

Something in his tone must have alerted his old friend because Jacob didn't react angrily as Hammond had anticipated but with concern. 'What's going on there, George? Is Sam OK?'

'Jake, I wish I could tell you.' Hammond said regretfully.

'You're worrying me here, George. Is my little girl OK or not?'

There was an edge of anger again in Jacob's voice and Hammond sighed heavily. He wrestled with his duty, the confidentiality of the work they did and his loyalty as a friend. 'Look, what I'm going to tell you has got to stay between us, understood?' He said eventually.

'You got it.'

'Sam undertook a classified mission recently to a remote area,' Hammond began, 'she was infected with a rare,' he searched for the words, 'parasitical…virus. She's recovered mostly but she's still in quarantine here at the base.'

'And that's why you can't authorise her leave.' Jacob deduced. 'Why didn't you just say so?'

Hammond shook his head exasperated. 'I shouldn't have to explain to you that I shouldn't be saying anything to you at all.' He retorted.

Jacob was duly abashed. 'I know and I'm grateful.' He cleared his throat. 'You said she was mostly recovered. She is recovering though, right?'

'She's doing fine, Jake.' Hammond said proudly, thinking of the way Sam had handled her experience with the Goa'uld. 'But she's still got a way to go.'

'How long is this quarantine going to last?' Jacob asked.

'We're not certain.' Hammond fudged. 'Like I said it's a rare virus and our CMO is being cautious.'

'I see.'

'Look, maybe it's for the best she isn't coming to see you right now.' Hammond murmured. 'I don't think telling her about your illness on your birthday would have made for a great trip.'

'You're probably right.' Jacob acknowledged.

'I promise, Jake,' Hammond said fervently, 'as soon as I can affect a meeting between the two of you, I will.'

Jacob sighed. 'I know and thanks.'

'Stay in touch, Jake.' Hammond said.

'Likewise, George.' Jacob said.

They said their goodbyes and Hammond replaced the phone. He tapped it thoughtfully and got to his feet.

o-O-o

'I can't believe we actually sneaked a bed onto the base.' Daniel muttered as he smoothed the antique quilt over the newly made bed in Sam's quarters.

'I'm not sure sneaking is the right word.' Jack muttered, thinking of all the men who had been involved in shifting the furniture from his truck to the small room and wondering how he was going to explain it to Hammond. He delved into the bag and brought out the bear.

'I too am surprised.' Teal'c said as he lit the last candle he had placed on the bookshelf.

'What are you all doing in my room?' Sam paused just inside the doorway and took in the shock on Jack and Daniel's face; Teal'c seemed merely a little perturbed at her unexpected arrival.

Sam moved into the room, her eyes suddenly taking in the new décor. 'Those are my photos.' She pointed at them before she recognised the music box and her hand flew to her chest and her racing heart. Her eyes landed on her bed and widened in startled realisation. 'That's my bed!'

Daniel straightened nervously and gestured impatiently at Jack.

Jack waved the bear at her. 'We can explain,' he began.

She turned her inquisitive gaze on him.

He thrust the bear at Teal'c. 'It was all Teal'c's idea.'

The Jaffa turned to face Sam. He grasped the bear firmly and bowing deeply offered the treasured childhood toy to her.

She took it from him. The next moment her arms were around him as she hugged him tightly. 'Thank you.' She whispered in his ear as the Jaffa cautiously patted her back.

'We helped.' Daniel said eagerly.

Sam unhooked her arms from Teal'c and crossed the room to hug Daniel.

Jack shifted his weight from one foot to another as he watched the archaeologist return the hug enthusiastically. 'Don't I get one of those?' he asked finally.

Sam pulled away from Daniel with a smile and moved a little tentatively to the Colonel. 'Thank you, sir.'

Jack's arms tightened around her. The light in the doorway suddenly disappeared and he looked up to see the frowning visage of his CO. He released Sam with more haste than grace. 'General Hammond, sir.'

'Colonel.' Hammond took in the transformed space and Jack's heart sank. Everything they had done in the room was against regulations.

'Sir, if I could explain about the décor…'

'No need, Colonel.' Hammond said briskly. 'Teal'c already asked me for permission.'

Jack's brown eyes flickered to the smug Jaffa. 'Of course he did.'

'It looks to me like you've done a great job.' Hammond noted.

Teal'c bowed his head at the General.

Hammond gestured at the three male team-members of SG1. 'If you'll excuse us, I'd like to speak with Captain Carter alone for a moment.'

'Why don't I meet you in the commissary for lunch afterwards, sir?' Sam said to Jack.

He nodded and ushered Teal'c and a frowning Daniel out ahead of him. The door closed behind them leaving Sam standing nervously in front of Hammond.

The General crossed to the bookshelf and picked up one of the photos Teal'c had brought. He smiled at the happy picture of Jacob with his wife, Katherine. 'I always forget just how beautiful your mother was.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam said fingering the bear she still held anxiously. 'She was very beautiful.'

Hammond looked over at the young Captain. Sam was a stunningly beautiful woman herself but she seemed oblivious to the fact. 'This is actually a social call, Sam.' He explained as he replaced the photo. 'Your father called me.'

'He did?' Sam was surprised. Her father had lectured her about how she shouldn't expect any favours just because she was his daughter when she had joined the Air Force, not that she had wanted or expected any. She frowned. 'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be.' Hammond smiled at her kindly. 'He was worried about you.'

'I'm fine.' Sam said automatically.

'I had to give him some explanation for refusing your leave.' Hammond continued. 'I told him you'd been on a classified mission and contracted a rare parasitical virus; that you're in quarantine.' He gestured at her. 'I thought you should know in case he asks you the next time you talk.'

'Thank you.'

Hammond shrugged. 'It's the least I can do.' He waved a hand around the room. 'Talking to your Dad and giving Teal'c permission to do this. I know it's not been easy on you being restricted to base, Sam. I just wish I could do more.'

Sam swallowed against the lump in her throat that had appeared under his kindly regard. 'I'm OK. The guys have been great organising all this and thank you for allowing them to bring everything here.'

Hammond nodded and smiled. 'Well, if I'm going to get thanked, maybe I could get one of those hugs too?'

Sam gave a breath of laughter and nodded, moving into his open arms to hug him tightly.

'I know this feels a bit like a prison, Sam, but it'll get better, I promise.' Hammond patted her back gently.

She pulled away and smiled at him brilliantly. 'It already has, Uncle George. It already has.'


	24. Head Trip

**Author's Note:** Team friendship with emphasis on Jack/Daniel friendship.

**The Gamekeeper Recap:** _SG1 arrives at P7J989 and investigate a large dome in a beautiful garden. They enter and find the indigenous population hooked up to chairs in some kind of suspended animation. As they investigate, they are suddenly grabbed by the chairs and tubes are quickly attached to them. _

_Jack and Teal'c find themselves back on Earth in the midst of one of Jack's old missions when he was a Captain. They speculate that they have been subjected to a time machine and go ahead with the mission, which originally went spectacularly wrong and ended with the death of Jack's CO, Colonel John Michaels. As they make an attempt to correct past mistakes, each one seems to have no affect on the outcome with Jack's CO dying in his arms and asking Jack to take care of his wife Barbara. Eventually, Jack stops making the attempt and a man appears who declares he's the Gamekeeper and presses Jack to continue. Jack refuses. _

_Sam and Daniel, meanwhile, have been transported to the New York Museum of Art where they witness the death of Daniel's parents Claire and Melburn Jackson. Daniel becomes increasingly upset at watching his parents' death and eventually refuses to play. The Gamekeeper arrives and brings Jack and Teal'c so the team is reunited. He reveals that the environment is virtual, created for his 'residents', the original population of the planet who put themselves into stasis when their planet became too poisoned to sustain life. When it looks like SG1 are about to reveal the truth about the planet's regeneration, the team appear to have been released by the chairs and go back to the SGC. But they soon realise they are still in the 'game'. They meet the residents and tell them the truth and as the Gamekeeper attempts to stop them, they exit through a portal in the game and truly released from it finding themselves back in the dome. The residents follow to once again enjoy their planet much to the dismay of the Gamekeeper._

**Head Trip **

The two women happily circled the two alien chairs in the lab at the SGC discussing their planned experiments with enthusiasm; the blonde bobbed her head in excitement at a suggestion from her brunette companion. They were both oblivious to the two men and the Jaffa as they entered the room so never realised how abruptly that group stopped inside the doorway. It wasn't clear which sight had brought them to a halt first; the two animated women or the alien chairs. It was the Colonel who clarified the matter and announced their arrival simultaneously.

'You really had them bring those here?!' Jack O'Neill scowled at the chairs that stood centre stage in the large lab.

Captain Samantha Carter's gaze flew to the doorway and she grinned cheerfully at her commanding officer. 'Yes, sir. Isn't it fantastic?' Her eyes gleamed with pleasure as she turned back to the devices and missed Jack rolling his brown eyes in disagreement. 'I didn't expect them to agree so fast to my request.' It had been her final conversation with the Docent before they had left the P7J989 earlier that day. The unexpected wormhole activation and arrival of the chairs a couple of hours before had been a wonderful surprise for Sam. 'They've given us two chairs to study and the possibilities are endless. I mean what we could do with this technology is astounding. Of course we still have to figure out the programming and how the chair interacts with the human mind…'

'Not to mention the rest of our physiology.' Janet Fraiser interjected.

'But think about it!' Sam continued, gesturing enthusiastically. 'This could offer us limitless virtual training scenarios or flight simulations or maybe…'

'She's babbling.' Jack announced in a loud aside to their team-mates, Daniel Jackson and Teal'c. His expression had softened inexplicably at Sam's evident excitement. The last time he had seen her as happy had been before she had been temporarily taken as a host for a Goa'uld symbiote. She was still dealing with the fallout which included being restricted to base until the Pentagon was convinced that she wasn't compromised not to mention the distrust and hostility of the odd one or two SGC staff. As much as he hated the alien chairs that had roused her scientific curiosity, he couldn't deny it was good to see her almost back to her old self.

'Yes, she is.' Daniel smiled at Sam who grinned back at him.

'Indeed.' Teal'c's low voice hummed across the room filled with satisfaction.

'Techno-babbling no less.' Jack continued rocking back and forth on his heels as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his combat pants.

Sam accepted the teasing with a sigh. 'Sir…'

He held up a finger. 'Why do I get the feeling that you're about to ask me for time to study the chairs?'

'Because she's about to ask you for time to study the chairs.' Daniel answered, joining in the gentle banter.

Sam ignored him and focused her attention on their team leader. 'Sir, I really think that it would be worth us spending some time studying these devices ourselves before we hand them over to Area 51. After all, we have the most experience using them.'

'An unenjoyable experience, Captain.' Jack reminded her.

'But, sir…' Sam began again.

'O'Neill, I do not understand.' Teal'c interrupted her, frowning at Jack. 'Did General Hammond not inform us that he had assigned Captain Carter to study the devices from P7J989 for a period of five days?'

Jack glared at the Jaffa. 'You couldn't let me have a little fun here, Teal'c?'

'Five days, sir?' Sam's blue eyes thanked Teal'c although her remark was directed at the Colonel.

'Five days.' Jack confirmed. 'The rest of us are on down-time apparently.' His eyes flickered accusingly to their CMO.

Janet met his gaze head on. 'Your bodies were subjected to an alien device, sir.'

'With no visible after-effects.' Jack retorted.

'Which is why I'm not restricting you to base during your down-time, Colonel.' Janet shot back.

Jack looked as though he wanted to argue but subsided as Sam's expression dimmed.

'You guys are heading off base?' She asked a little tentatively. Although Jack and Daniel usually went home to their respective dwellings when off-duty more often than not they had taken to hanging around the base to keep her company. She enjoyed their support and had appreciated their steady presence in the aftermath of her experience with Jolinar more than any of them would ever know.

'No.' Jack automatically reassured her. 'Actually, we have a ton of stuff to do around here…'

'I have lots of things to translate and catalogue.' Daniel added as he jumped in to support the older man.

'And I have…' Jack searched for an activity he could lay claim to as a justification for spending his time on the base, '…stuff.' He concluded awkwardly.

Sam smiled at them even as her fingers worried at one of the tubes on the chair she was standing beside. 'You know you don't need to stay just for me.' She forced the words out. 'I'm going to be busy with these. Of course we do need volunteers to participate in the experiments…'

'No!'

'Uh-huh!'

Jack and Daniel shook their heads furiously to back up their vehement refusals. Teal'c regarded his team-mates evenly for a long moment before he turned to Sam. 'I will assist you, Captain Carter.'

'Thank you, Teal'c.' Sam sighed. 'But unfortunately as neither you nor I seem to be able to interact fully with the chairs I need other volunteers.' She looked hopefully at the Colonel and the archaeologist in front of her again.

'I don't think there's ever going to be a situation that would make me volunteer to get back into one of those chairs.' Jack proclaimed dramatically; his vague wave encompassed the chairs, Sam and Janet and the rest of the room.

'Me either.' Daniel said quietly. He pushed his glasses up his nose and unconsciously wrapped his arms around his torso.

Sam nodded in understanding. Both Daniel and Jack had each been made to relive one of their worst memories during their experience on the planet; she could hardly blame them for their reluctance. 'I guess we'll have to put out a request for volunteers.' She murmured to Janet.

'In the meantime,' the doctor's brown eyes landed speculatively on the Jaffa, 'I wouldn't mind taking you up on your offer, Teal'c. I'd like to understand why these chairs didn't work on you and Sam.'

Teal'c inclined his head in agreement.

'Great.' Janet beamed at him. 'Can I just go over your report for a second and then we'll get you hooked up?'

Teal'c raised an eyebrow but stepped off to the side of the lab with the doctor.

Jack and Daniel exchanged a wry look.

'Well, I should head back to my office,' Daniel said, 'translations, catalogues…' He was already stepping backwards, his mind already on the artefacts waiting for him.

Jack shooed him out the rest of the way and Sam smiled at their antics for a moment before she crouched down beside the chair and began to examine the medical equipment that made up the lower tubing. The sound of a throat being cleared beside her had her looking up to find her CO standing next to her. She jumped a little and grumbled inwardly at the special ops training that allowed the man to sneak up on people.

'Sorry, Carter.' Jack said insincerely. 'Do you have a minute?'

'Of course, sir.' She stood up again and waited for him to speak.

Jack rocked back on his heels. The mission had been tough and the thought of getting away for a few days of fishing appealed to him but he didn't want to leave her if she really needed them to stick around. Looking at her he wondered whether he should say anything; maybe he should just stay on the base.

'Sir?' Sam prompted.

Jack tapped the arm of the chair with a fist. 'Are you sure about this down-time thing, Sam?'

Sam attempted a smile and failed as her heart sank; Jack obviously did want to leave the base. 'You have somewhere in mind, sir?'

Jack shrugged, an image of his fishing cabin in Minnesota leaping into his mind unbidden. 'Maybe but…'

'It's OK, sir.' Sam interrupted him. 'Like I said I'll be busy with…' she waved at the chairs.

'That you will.' Jack said. 'And Teal'c will be around and it looks like Daniel will be too so…'

Her guarded blue eyes turned back to his. 'You should go, sir.'

'OK but I'll have my phone with me and…'

'We'll call if there's a problem, sir.' Sam promised.

'Good.' Jack said in an over-bright tone. 'Well, I should…' he gestured behind him.

Sam nodded.

'Have fun with your doohickeys, Carter.' Jack called out over his shoulder. He couldn't leave her, he determined. Even if she said it was OK it obviously wasn't. He didn't really need to go fishing…he was half-way to the elevator when Janet caught up with him.

'I thought you were about to torture Teal'c.' Jack commented as she fell into step beside him.

'I need his medical records.' Janet explained. She hesitated for a moment before plunging in. 'You're doing the right thing, sir.'

Jack's eyes slid to hers; a subtle warning in the brown depths.

'Sorry, sir,' Janet said, 'but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Captain Carter.'

Jack accepted the apology and pressed the elevator call button. He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced over at the petite doctor. 'You really think it's the right thing?' He asked quietly.

Janet nodded. 'It's a good sign for her recovery that she suggested you could leave her alone on the base for a few days.' She gestured as they stepped into the elevator. 'If you accept her offer and leave, ultimately it will help her feel like she's moved forward because she'll see she survived on her own without you for a few days.'

He turned over her words in his head. 'So I guess staying is out of the question?' He asked seriously.

'Daniel and Teal'c won't begin the transition until you do, sir.' Janet pointed out.

Jack inwardly acknowledged the truth of her words.

'It's a good thing, sir.' Janet assured him. She moved to exit the elevator as it slid to a stop at her floor. 'Try not to worry.'

Jack stared after her until the elevator doors slid shut. He wasn't worried, he assured himself. Just because he was naturally concerned about going on a vacation and leaving Sam didn't mean he was worried or that he thought he was abandoning her. Nope. Not at all. He rubbed a hand through his hair. Right.

o-O-o

The ringing was incessant and annoying. Jack's hand shot out from under the blankets and searched the floor beside his bed. His knuckles knocked against the receiver and he picked it up dragging it back under the covers to hold against his ear. He refused to open his eyes as he hit the receive button.

'O'Neill.' His voice croaked out in sleepy grumpiness.

'Sorry to wake you, sir.' Sam hurried out her apology.

Jack's eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice and he shifted onto his back glancing at his alarm clock on his way. 'Do you know what time it is, Carter?'

'Yes, sir, but this is important.'

There was enough urgency in her voice for Jack to attempt to wake up more, rubbing his hand over his face. 'Are we being invaded by aliens?' He asked caustically.

'No, sir. It's Daniel.' Sam explained quickly.

'Daniel?' Jack sat up suddenly alert.

'Yes, sir.' Her worry coated every word. 'He called a little while ago to tell me he wasn't coming to the base and that he'd decided to go away for a few days.'

Jack frowned. The last time he'd seen Daniel the other man had been determined to stay and finish a stack of translation work during their down-time.

'I'm worried about him, sir.' Sam continued. 'He wouldn't tell me where he was going and he sounded pretty upset.' She paused. 'I think he's been brooding about his experience on P7J989.'

'It wasn't a picnic for any of us, Captain.' Jack retorted.

'Daniel had to relive seeing his parents die, sir. I think he got the worst deal.' Sam said forcefully. 'I don't know how I would have handled it if I'd had to watch my mother's death over and over.'

Jack sighed. She was right. Daniel had gotten the worst deal. As painful as it had been to watch the death of a friend, it would have been a hundred times worse to have relived the death of his parents, or worse, his son.

'I don't think he should be alone right now, sir.' Sam finished. 'I'd go myself but…'

But she was restricted to base as was Teal'c without an escort. Jack mentally waved goodbye to his fishing trip. 'You said he didn't tell you where he was going?' He said resigned.

'Actually I've managed to track him down. He's on a flight to New York.' Sam said. 'I think he's going back to the Museum of Art.'

Jack shook his head. He really didn't want to know how Sam had got the information, he told himself strictly. 'OK.' He picked up his watch. 'I'll go to New York and check on him.'

'Thank you, sir.' Sam said relieved. 'I've booked you on a flight that leaves at oh-seven-hundred. If you leave within the next thirty minutes for the airport you should make it.'

Jack slumped back on the pillows torn between irritation and exasperation. 'Carter…' he began furiously.

'Yes, sir?'

'Never mind.' He sighed. 'I'll call you when I find him.'

'Thanks again, sir.'

He heard the sound of the dial tone and switched the phone off, throwing it onto the bed. A few minutes later, he was in a shower and exactly twenty minutes after Sam's call he was in his truck and headed for the airport. Given his luggage was a simple overnight bag, check-in was swift and Jack found himself ensconced in a business class seat in what seemed like no time at all. He took a moment to appreciate the luxury, determined he should get Carter to book his travel more often before he made himself as comfortable as it was possible to do in an airline seat and closed his eyes. He dozed for most of the trip, waking an hour from New York and gulping down two hot stewed cups of coffee.

New York was cold. It was his only thought as he stepped out of the airport and took his place in the line for the taxis disgruntled. He slipped on his sunglasses and got into the cab asking for the Museum of Art. The drive into the city was longer than Jack had expected but his driver was competent even if his taste in music left a lot to be desired. Jack had the beginnings of a dull headache when he was duly delivered to the museum.

He looked up at the ornate building and hefted his bag onto his shoulder. Sam so owed him for this one, he thought grouchily, ignoring his own twinge of worry about Daniel as he made his way inside. It took him a while to find the younger man who stood staring at one corner of a large room. Jack felt a vague familiarity with the space and he realised that it was the same room Daniel and Sam had occupied inside the virtual world; the room where Daniel's parents had died.

He took a moment to observe Daniel from afar. The archaeologist seemed oblivious to the world going on around him. His long rangy body was tense; his arms wrapped around himself tightly; his long hair had fallen forward over his face effectively hiding it from view. The duffel bag at his feet suggested he'd arrived there directly from the airport just like Jack.

Jack walked forward to stand beside him silently. 'So, what ya doing?' He asked conversationally as though he had simply entered Daniel's office on the base to get an update.

Daniel's head swivelled to him so fast Jack was a little amazed the archaeologist wasn't injured. Face to face he could see the impact of the Gamekeeper's jaunt through Daniel's memories. The younger man was pale, much paler than normal, with the only colour provided by the deep purple shadows under red-rimmed eyes. Jack figured Daniel had spent the night awake crying before heading to New York in the early hours of the morning. He fought the urge to comfort him seeing the flare of angry recognition in the blue eyes staring back at him.

'What are you doing here?' Daniel demanded.

'Carter was worried.' Jack said lightly.

Daniel scowled. 'Sam?'

'Yeah, she was concerned after your call; asked me to check on you.' Jack happily placed all the blame on the blonde haired Captain. He was counting on Daniel having more tolerance for Sam than for himself.

'She shouldn't have done.' Daniel said, turning away from Jack, his attention shifting back to the empty corner. 'I'm fine.'

'I see that.' Jack said dryly.

Daniel glared at him. 'You've done your duty, Jack. I'm OK. You can leave.'

Jack bristled at the sharp dismissal. 'I have to find a bathroom. Watch my bag.' He whirled away before Daniel had the chance to reply.

The archaeologist watched Jack stride out and sighed on a wave of irritation. He was half-attempted to walk off and leave Jack's bag lying on the ground but his ingrained sense of decency had him staying put. Why had Sam sent Jack after him anyway? Daniel mused crossly. OK, so he maybe hadn't been completely together when he'd called her.

He sighed again.

It had been a rough night. As soon as he'd closed his eyes the memory of his parents' death had replayed like a horror film in his head; over and over. So he might have been shaky and definitely sleep deprived when he called Sam; maybe he had even sounded a little on edge. Maybe he could understand Sam being concerned about him suddenly disappearing. He reached down and picked up both bags moving to a bench by the wall. He sat down heavily and stared at the corner. It was a good twenty minutes before Jack sat down beside him and a long while before Daniel spoke.

'Did you call Sam?' He asked quietly.

'Yeah.' Jack leaned forward. He rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands together.

'I didn't mean to worry her.' Daniel rubbed his nose. 'I just needed to…to come here.'

'She gets that.'

Daniel's guilt at leaving Sam alone on the base pricked at his conscience. 'She's OK?' He asked a little anxiously. 'With us not being there?'

'She's OK.' Jack assured him. He glanced over at Daniel who was looking sceptical. 'I talked with Teal'c. She's really doing OK.' He gestured. 'And Fraiser thinks this is a good thing, us being away. She thinks it'll help Sam's recovery.'

'Really?' Daniel sounded as doubtful as Jack felt.

'Yeah. That's what I said.'

The two men exchanged a look of complete understanding before Jack turned away.

'I'm sorry, Jack.'

Jack's eyes snapped back to Daniel. 'You don't need to apologise, Daniel. That game…it screwed with my head too.'

They fell silent again, their gazes drifting back to the milling crowds as they moved through the room.

'You know every year since I turned eighteen,' Daniel began eventually, 'I would come back here every anniversary and just spend the day so I could be near them.' He paused. 'Until I went to Abydos. This morning…I just…all I could think about doing was what I did before you know; come to the museum and hang out.'

Jack examined his own hands carefully. 'You want some company?'

'It's OK. You don't have to stay.' Daniel said.

Jack turned, about to take the out Daniel offered him and leave. The words died on his lips at the sight of Daniel's face. It was a curious mix of hope and want all hidden as much as possible behind a thin veneer of pretended indifference. Jack went over Daniel's words again in his head. The younger man had come every year to the museum; every year alone. Well, Daniel wasn't alone any longer, Jack mused. 'You know,' he began, 'I just don't get to see enough art.' He gestured at the walls. 'I think I'll stick around.' He caught Daniel's surprised eyes. 'That is, if you don't mind.'

'No. I don't mind.' He said faintly, inwardly pleased at Jack's decision.

'Good.' Jack sat back and stretched out his legs.

'Jack, are you sure you…' Daniel began.

'Daniel.' Jack held Daniel's gaze firmly. 'There's no where else I have to…nowhere else I _want_ to be right now.'

Daniel nodded and looked away, tears stinging the back of his eyes. They blurred over the interested glances of the passers-by as they wondered at the two men sat on the bench staring at the empty corner.

o-O-o

'Sam! Wait up!'

Daniel's yell slowed the Captain to a halt in the corridor and she turned around to greet the archaeologist jogging towards her with a grin. 'Daniel! You're back.'

Daniel accepted her hug carefully juggling the stack of folders he carried. 'You look good.' He commented as she eased back and they resumed their walk through the corridor.

'I feel good.' Sam admitted as they headed into the commissary. 'What about you?'

Daniel shuffled a little under her regard as he handed his plate to the server for a stack of pancakes. 'Yeah. I'm good.'

She waited until they were sat at their usual table before she continued. 'Are you really OK?'

'Really.' He reassured her hurriedly as he drowned the pancakes in syrup. 'I…uh, I'm sorry I worried you. I just needed to clear my head.'

'You don't need to explain, Daniel.' She laid a hand on his arm. 'I understand.' Her blue eyes shone with sympathy. 'What you went through on P7J989…nobody should have to relive something like that.'

He nodded a little jerkily. 'Yeah.' He took his first mouthful of pancakes.

'So,' Sam said lightening her tone deliberately, 'at least you and Colonel O'Neill didn't kill each other after spending a few days alone together in New York.'

'Yeah,' Daniel drawled, his eyes softening with rueful amusement, 'I have to find some way of properly thanking you for sending him after me.' He teased.

'Ah, come on, Daniel. It couldn't have been that bad.' Sam said, her lips twitching.

Actually, Daniel mused, it hadn't been bad at all. They'd spent that first day in the museum but the next day Jack had insisted on spending some time sightseeing. For all his trips to New York, Daniel had never gone sightseeing before and Jack had been a surprisingly good tour-guide even if they had argued about mostly everything, from what to see to where to have dinner. It had been weird; weird but not bad weird. 'No,' he said out loud, realising Sam was still waiting for him to speak. 'It wasn't bad.' He cut up another bite of pancake. 'Actually I think it was good for Jack too. We tracked down the widow of his old CO.'

'The one that died in the mission he was forced to relive?' Sam checked.

Daniel nodded. 'Barbara Michaels.'

Sam stirred her cereal. 'What was she like?'

'Nice.' Daniel said. 'She was living in upstate New York. Very excited to hear from Jack.' He shovelled in his pancake, hastily chewed and swallowed. 'She's remarried. Apparently her son, the one she had with John, Jack's friend, he's applying for the academy.'

'Wow.' Sam lifted her eyebrow. 'I guess we'll have to watch out for him in the cadets.'

'Maybe.' Daniel murmured. His eyes caught on a young Lieutenant staring at Sam across the mess. 'Don't look now but I think you have an admirer.'

'Hmmm?' Sam glanced across the room. She turned to Daniel with a smile. 'That's not an admirer. It's just Lieutenant Simmons. He volunteered to participate in the chair study.'

'Oh, did he?' Daniel teased. 'Are you sure he was interested in the chairs?'

'Who was interested in the chairs?' Jack slipped into the seat next to Sam as Teal'c took the remaining empty chair next to Daniel.

Sam shot Daniel a warning look; there was no need to embarrass the young officer.

Daniel waved his fork. 'Oh nobody.'

Jack stared at him for a moment before he allowed the archaeologist off the hook. Instead he smiled back at Sam as she smiled a welcome at him. His brown eyes ran over her briskly ascertaining she was OK. He had checked in with Sam every day on the pretext of letting her know how Daniel was doing and despite her assurances she was fine, he hadn't really believed it until that moment. She looked good, he decided, and acknowledged that maybe Fraiser had been right. The time he and Daniel had been away had renewed Sam's confidence in her ability to stand on her own two feet. 'So I hear your chairs went off to Area 51.' Jack commented.

'Yes, sir.' Sam smiled. 'We got a lot of interesting data though.'

'I'm sure you did.' Jack broke in before she could start to tell him the detail.

Sam leaned forward as though he hadn't spoken. 'You know Doctor Fraiser ran some tests to find out why the chairs didn't work for Teal'c and me?'

Jack and Daniel nodded.

'Well, the chairs were unable to read our minds for completely different reasons.' Sam said.

'The Goa'uld I carry produces a second brain wave that interferes with the chair's ability to read my thoughts.' Teal'c explained as he dug into the mountain of food in front of him.

'But my results showed a completely different cause.' Sam said triumphantly.

'Oh?' Jack prompted as he poured milk over his cereal.

'The chair had a problem connecting to my brain because of the protein marker in my blood stream.' Sam smiled. 'Doctor Fraiser's going to include the findings in her latest report to the Pentagon. Hopefully it'll reassure them about me and convince them to lift my restriction to the base.'

'That's great news, Sam.' Daniel said sincerely.

'Excellent news, Carter.' Jack added.

Sam nodded. 'Yes, sir. General Hammond's pretty hopeful.'

'The chairs have gone though, right?' Jack checked.

She repressed a sigh. 'Yes, sir. The chairs have gone to Area 51.'

'Good.' Jack's eyes moved to Daniel on the opposite side of the table. The younger man still seemed a little fragile to him. There was no doubt Daniel's experience on P7J989 had rocked the archaeologist to his core. 'So, you guys ready for…' his mind went blank. 'Where are we going again, Carter?'

'P3R636, sir.' Sam said with a smile. She started expanding on an observation from the MALP readings and Jack absently listened as he watched Daniel respond. A couple of missions, Jack told himself firmly, a couple of missions to get back on his feet again and put the events with the Gamekeeper behind him; that's all Daniel needed.


	25. Needed

**Author's Note:** Daniel/Team friendship.

**Need Recap:** _SG1 are on a reconnaissance mission on P3R636. Their presence is revealed when Daniel saves a young woman, Shyla, from committing suicide. They are taken before Pyrus, the ruler of the planet, an elderly man and Shyla's father. When Shyla does not speak up to support SG1's story, the team are sentenced to work in the naquadah mine. An escape attempt goes badly when Daniel is injured and trapped under rock. While the others are left in the mine, Daniel is taken and placed in a sarcophagus by Shyla who has a strong romantic interest in him. On his awakening, she assures him she will work with him to release the others and is sorry for not speaking out. Daniel tries to press her and Pyrus to release SG1 but to no avail. Trying to keep Shyla happy he gives in to her urging to use the sarcophagus again. _

_Daniel eventually visits his team-mates again in the mine and they notice his odd behaviour. An exhausted Sam has flashbacks of Jolinar's memories which suggest the sarcophagus takes away a person's soul. Daniel finally gets the team out by agreeing to marry Shyla. They all head back to the SGC where Daniel starts to exhibit mean and violent behaviour as he suffers withdrawal from the sarcophagus. He is like a drug addict craving another fix. He is eventually restrained but gets free and has a violent confrontation with Jack in a store room, pulling a gun on the older man. Jack manages to get through to Daniel who breaks down and is comforted by his friend. Finally weaned from the sarcophagus, a subdued Daniel rejoins the team to go back to P3R636 where he convinces Shyla, now the ruler after the death of her father, to destroy the sarcophagus and build a better future for her people. _

**Needed **

Daniel Jackson stared out at the night sky and wondered at the absence of a moon and the strange patterns that formed the constellations of the alien planet. A balmy breeze shifted his brown hair and he smoothed it without thought, adjusting his glasses as his hand made the journey back. He crossed his arms over his BDU jacket and let his eyes fall to the ground below. The remnants of the fiesta that had happened earlier to celebrate the newly granted liberty proclaimed by Queen Shyla were littered over the dark ground with the odd torch and bonfire still burning in the darkness. Daniel felt a moment's weary satisfaction; the people of the planet were free from slavery. They would lead better lives and he had played a part in that.

A twinge of guilt teased at the edges of the thought. His achievement had come at a high price. He felt anew the wash of shame from his actions in the previous month. It wasn't bad enough that he had allowed his team-mates to suffer in the harsh confines of the mines while he had lived like a king on their last trip to P3R636 but his behaviour towards them when he had initially gone back to the SGC had been appalling. He felt his cheeks grow hot as he remembered his meanness and brutality. Daniel knew that his behaviour had been caused because of changes to his body chemistry from using the sarcophagus while he had been physically healthy; that it hadn't truly been him, but it didn't take away the memories and the sense of horror he felt every time they replayed in his mind.

'It's beautiful, isn't it?'

Shyla's voice had him turning to glance behind him. He acknowledged the presence of the young queen with a small nod of his head. 'It is.' He agreed out loud as she walked forward to join him.

'I've never known a day like today.' Shyla noted wrapping the heavy ornamental robe more closely around her. 'Everybody was so happy and full of life.' She paused and looked over at Daniel, her dark hair gently moving in the breeze. 'They were all so grateful to me.'

'You freed them.' Daniel pointed out gently.

'No,' Shyla disagreed softly, 'I could not have done it without you.'

'You're a good person, Shyla,' Daniel began.

'Even though I tricked you and knowingly got you addicted to the sarcophagus?' Shyla interjected. Her dark eyes shone with regret as she held his gaze.

'That was the sarcophagus' influence on you.' Daniel said gently. 'And you would have done the right thing even without me.'

'I think we both know that isn't true.' Shyla said bluntly. 'I would never have managed to give up the sarcophagus nor done this,' her hand waved at the scene below, 'if you hadn't come back to help me.'

Daniel kept quiet unsure what to say.

'You could still stay.' Shyla offered hesitantly.

'Shyla…' Daniel sighed.

'I know you don't love me, Daniel, but in time…'

'I have a wife, Shyla.' Daniel said softly. 'Remember? I told you about her.'

'Yes.' Shyla turned away and moved to rest her hand on the balcony wall. 'You must love her very much to wait for her as you do.'

'I do,' Daniel confirmed, 'and I'll wait for her as long as it takes.' _How long am I expected to wait?_ He pushed the memory of saying the cruel words that he had spoken during his withdrawal away. He hadn't been himself, he thought firmly. He would wait for Sha're; he would.

'I'm scared.' Shyla admitted in a small voice. 'I'm not sure I can do this without you.'

'You can.' Daniel took a step toward her. 'We're leaving Major Trent and his team behind to help you. They'll be here to support you and advise you with the mine and with anything else you need.'

'But they aren't you.' Shyla looked at him and registered his slight embarrassment. She reached out and laid a hand on his arm. 'You told me once that you always felt you didn't belong on your planet; that you wished to make a difference. You could do that here. You are needed here.'

Daniel flushed again at the memory. 'I…uh…'

'It wasn't a lie, was it, Daniel?' Shyla noted.

'No.' Daniel acknowledged. 'It wasn't a lie. Sometimes I don't feel needed where I am but…my place is with them and with Sha're when I find her.'

Shyla sighed finally accepting defeat. 'She is a lucky woman, Daniel.'

'I'm the lucky one.' Daniel said in a choked voice, a sudden sadness catching him off guard.

His companion laid a hand on his shoulder in comfort before she moved away, walking back into the palace. She was oblivious to the silent Jaffa standing out of sight in the shadows as was Daniel who remained where he was; staring into the night sky with tears running down his cheeks.

o-O-o

'…and SG9 will conclude the negotiations for the naquadah ore with Queen Shyla.' Daniel finished his report and his folded his hands atop the buff folder on the briefing room table.

General Hammond nodded and glanced at the other members of SG1 sat around the table, his gaze settling on the team's leader. 'Do you have anything else to add, Colonel?'

Jack O'Neill shook his head. 'No, sir.'

'Then I think we're done.' Hammond turned back to Daniel deliberately. 'Nice job, Doctor Jackson.'

Daniel ducked his head. 'Thank you.'

'Dismissed.' Hammond said as he pushed himself to his feet. 'Colonel, could I see you in my office a moment?'

Jack paused in gathering up his folders and nodded. He followed his CO into the adjoining office and closed the door.

'I'll make this brief, Colonel.' Hammond said shortly. 'I spoke with the Pentagon this morning about lifting Captain Carter's restriction to base.'

'Yes, sir?' Jack asked hopefully. The restriction had been in place since Carter had been taken briefly as a host by a Goa'uld symbiote, Jolinar, who had died. It was a precaution to ensure the young Air Force officer hadn't been compromised by her traumatic experience but in Jack's opinion the restriction had long since out-lived its purpose and usefulness. Sam was herself; he'd swear to it and he knew Hammond felt the same. Jack felt his heart sink as the General sat down. 'They didn't go for it, sir.' It was a statement not a question. Jack's jaw tensed and he automatically assumed an 'at ease' pose in front of the General's desk.

'No, they didn't go for it.' Hammond confirmed.

'Permission to speak…'

Hammond nodded pre-empting the request for a blunt discussion.

'Why the hell not?' Jack asked furious. 'I thought they had agreed to seriously consider the evidence from the chairs on P7J989 which proves she's totally free of the Goa'uld.'

'They had and they were but Doctor Fraiser noted that Captain Carter was able to recall a fragment of the memory from the symbiote in her medical write-up on your original mission to P3R636.' Hammond saw the flash of anger in Jack's brown eyes. 'As she was required to do, Colonel. Your own mission report even acknowledges that the Captain was able to determine through a…a…a feeling that Pyrus and Shyla were not Goa'ulds.' He sighed again, knowing the younger man wouldn't like what he was about to say. 'I have to say I agree with their decision this time, Jack.'

'Sir?' Jack's eyebrows shot up.

'Her ability to access the Goa'uld's memories is a cause for concern.' Hammond stated authoratively.

'With respect, sir, she _can't_ access the Goa'uld memories.' Jack shot back. 'She was severely exhausted when she had that flashback on P3R636. Even Fraiser thinks it was a fluke.'

'And if it wasn't?' Hammond asked.

The two men stared at each other for a moment.

Hammond's face softened imperceptibly. 'I understand your feelings on this, Colonel, believe me.'

'I know you do, sir.' Jack acknowledged. He was aware of Hammond's personal relationship with the Carter family and knew if Hammond was in agreement with the Pentagon, the General had to truly believe it was the right thing to do.

'While I believe Captain Carter has not been fundamentally compromised by her experience, the Captain's flashback, her newfound abilities, is a cause of concern.' Hammond explained. 'There may be other ramifications from her experience that we have yet to discover and as much as I would like to authorise the lifting of the restriction, I believe there is still a case for acting with caution.'

Jack straightened. From the look in Hammond's eyes he knew it was pointless to argue further. 'With your permission, sir, I'll inform the Captain.'

Hammond hesitated struggling with his desire to give the news himself. He sighed again and nodded sharply.

Jack came to attention and left the office. He stormed back through the briefing area and headed for the elevator. He used the time in the empty compartment pacing, trying to get his anger under control. He sighed.

Sam so didn't need bad news after the month they'd had with the mission on P3R636. They had all had a tough time but Sam especially. He knew the flashbacks in the mine had frightened her although she had tried to pretend otherwise in front of him and Teal'c. She wouldn't have pretended with Daniel, Jack mused ignoring the twinge of envy he felt at the thought. He whirled to a halt and rocked back on his heels.

It had occurred to him half-way through their return visit to P3R636 that something was awry in the relationship between Sam and Daniel. They were too quiet with each other; too polite. Jack believed it was the confrontation that had happened between the two when Daniel had started going through withdrawal. Carter hadn't given details; she'd merely expressed concerns about Daniel's behaviour when she had brought it to Jack's attention but he determined that it was at the root of the distance that had suddenly sprung up between them. It probably hadn't helped that once Daniel had accepted help, the younger man had insisted on only wanting Jack around during his withdrawal in case he hurt anyone else. Not having each other to turn to was hurting both of them, Jack mused, and he knew he needed to fix it; he just didn't know how.

He rubbed his hands through his short hair violently as the elevator slowed to a halt. Sam was in her lab as he had predicted. He took a moment to watch her examining data on her computer, totally immersed in the facts and figures playing across the screen. He rapped on the open door. 'Carter?'

Sam turned to smile at the Colonel who hovered just inside the doorway. 'Sir.'

'Do you have a minute?' Jack asked.

She nodded nervously taking in his serious expression. 'Of course, I was just going over the data from the initial tests we've run on the naquadah ore. The results are amazing and…' she stopped and a faint blush heated her cheeks as she realised she was babbling. 'Sorry, sir.'

'That's OK, Carter.' Jack closed the door behind him and walked over to her.

She frowned; the Colonel rarely tolerated her babbling so easily and his closing the door wasn't a good sign. Whatever he wanted to discuss it must be serious, she mused unhappily.

Jack cleared his throat. 'I have some news.' He shifted his position, clasping his hands behind his back. 'The Pentagon has reviewed your situation again and has decided not to lift your restriction at this time.'

He saw the impact of his words as she absorbed the meaning, saw her face fall with disappointment before she masked it; her spine stiffening into ramrod straightness as she met his gaze squarely.

'Does this have anything to do with the flashback, sir?' Sam asked unhappily. She was beginning to wonder if the Pentagon were ever going to allow her to resume a normal life.

Jack sighed. 'They just feel they…that _we_ need more time to fully understand all the ramifications given the flashback.'

Sam nodded. 'I see, sir.' She pressed her lips together firmly. She wouldn't break down; not in front of Jack.

'Sam…' Jack began gently.

'Sir.' Sam interrupted eager to get him out of the lab. 'I need to get back to analysing this data.' She waved at her computer and turned away from her CO, unable to look at him anymore and pretend it was OK.

A muscle worked in Jack's jaw. Not for the first time he regretted the regulations that defined their relationship and battled with his urge to ignore them and comfort her anyway. It wasn't his place, he reminded himself. 'Right.' He said out loud. 'I'll leave you to it.'

'Thank you, sir.' Sam said, keeping her gaze on her computer monitor.

'If you need anything, Carter…'

Her blue eyes flashed to him defiantly. 'I'm fine, sir.'

He saw through the bravado but nodded anyway. 'See you tomorrow, Captain.'

'Sir.'

Jack whirled and headed out. He wasn't sure when he had last felt so completely useless – oh, wait, he thought derisively; he did. The last time had been when he'd had to watch Daniel go through a horrific withdrawal from the sarcophagus. He punched the call button for the elevator with the flat of his fist and got back into the compartment.

It stopped at the next floor and Teal'c entered. The Jaffa nodded to Jack who acknowledged the warrior with a brisk nod of his own.

Teal'c waited until they moved off before he spoke registering the barely concealed tension in Jack's demeanour. 'Is something wrong, O'Neill?'

Jack sighed. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. 'The Pentagon's refused to lift Carter's restriction again because of the Goa'uld flashback thing.'

Teal'c's eyebrow arched delicately. 'That is unfortunate.'

'It's crap is what it is.' Jack muttered unhappily. He rocked back and forth a moment.

'How is she?' Teal'c asked.

'You know Carter.' Jack stared at the floor indicator.

'I see.' Teal'c said quietly, and he did see. He knew his female team-mate preferred to show a strong front. It was rare that she would confide her fears and pain, and he always felt honoured when she did, acknowledging it for the gift of trust it was.

He needed to go home, Jack thought. Get some rest, look at the stars for a while and sleep. Maybe he'd find a way forward through the whole mess. The elevator slid to a halt. He turned to the Jaffa. 'See you tomorrow, Teal'c.'

Teal'c bowed his head and watched his team-leader stride away. He pressed the button to take him back down and stared thoughtfully at the closed doors. It had been a trying month for the team particularly his human team-mates, he mused. The two military officers had suffered greatly from the arduous conditions in the mine while he had been more fortunate; his Goa'uld had sustained him. All of them had been perturbed by the behaviour of their team-mate. Daniel's sarcophagus use had fundamentally changed the archaeologist's nature and the effects of the continued and prolonged exposure to the device had been evident on their return.

He believed he had been fortunate to have missed the confrontations the younger man experienced by his team-mates. Neither had he been upset at Daniel's request that only Jack assist him with his recovery. As a warrior, Teal'c could understand that Daniel wished to limit those who would witness him in a weakened state. He was certain Captain Carter had not been as understanding despite her own reluctance to show weakness to her team-mates. It seemed to him that she had taken the request as a sign that Daniel was displeased with her. Equally, Daniel seemed to have taken Sam's decision to honour his request for space as a sign she was displeased with him. Teal'c had observed from his time with the Tau'ri that such misunderstandings and miscommunications were common among humans and potentially extremely damaging. Certainly the current situation could not be allowed to continue if the team was to operate effectively, Teal'c determined. He was just as certain O'Neill was aware of the situation and would not allow it to continue.

His thoughts shifted to his team-leader. O'Neill felt a great deal of responsibility for the team and for what happened to them all on their missions, Teal'c mused. He knew that sense of responsibility was at the root of O'Neill's frustration with the continued restriction on Captain Carter. He believed fundamentally O'Neill blamed himself for the Captain being taken as a host. Teal'c knew there had been no way any of them could have prevented what had occurred but again, he had observed humans often illogically assumed blame for events completely beyond their control. O'Neill blamed himself for the Captain's experience and so blamed himself for her current restriction. It was little wonder he had been so tense and unhappy about the latest Pentagon decision and his obvious frustration had been the reason why Teal'c had refrained from informing O'Neill about the conversation between Shyla and Daniel that he had witnessed the night before.

Teal'c frowned. All three of his team-mates were hurting and while he was confident they would all recover eventually he wondered if there was a way to help. He leaned forward and pressed the button for a different floor to the one he had previously chosen. The elevator duly delivered him to his destination and he made his way along the corridor to Daniel's office. The archaeologist was peering at a shard of pottery and noting its markings in a journal as Teal'c entered the open doorway.

'Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c came to a stop before the central workbench which was piled high as always with artefacts and books.

Daniel didn't move initially, his blue eyes still examining the pottery. 'Teal'c.' He finally glanced up surprised to the Jaffa's sombre expression. 'What brings you here?'

'I require your urgent assistance, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c said forcefully.

'Sure.' Daniel agreed without hesitation. Whatever Teal'c needed help with, it was obviously important. 'What's the problem?'

'It is Captain Carter and Colonel O'Neill.' Teal'c said. 'They are both extremely upset.'

Daniel's blue eyes widened. 'Why?'

'I do not know.' Teal'c lied blithely. 'Captain Carter remains in her lab and Colonel O'Neill has gone home.'

The archaeologist sat down heavily on a stool. 'That's odd. Do you think it had anything to do with Jack's conversation with General Hammond?'

'Perhaps.' Teal'c allowed.

'Damn.' Daniel swore as his agile mind leapt to all the right conclusions. 'Wasn't Sam waiting on the Pentagon's latest decision about her restriction?'

'I believe so.' Teal'c said quietly, clasping his hands behind his back.

'They must have refused to lift it again.' Daniel slipped off his stool and whirled furiously in his office. 'I can't believe how they're keeping her prisoner like this! There has to be something we can do.' He stopped and placed his hands on his hips. 'Poor Sam!' His mind tumbled over the likely events; Jack's meeting with Hammond, having to tell Sam…and knowing the Captain she would have put on a brave front with Jack. Poor Jack, Daniel thought. His friend probably felt just as helpless and as frustrated as he did. 'Damn.' He repeated softly.

'They are in need of our support.' Teal'c murmured.

'Yes.' Daniel said. He frowned and shifted uneasily. After how he had treated her when they had returned from P3R636 he didn't think Sam would want him around. 'Why don't you take Sam? I'll head to Jack's.'

'I do not believe that would be wise.' Teal'c said without moving.

'Oh?' Daniel blinked at him in surprise.

'Captain Carter is now sensitive to the Goa'uld I carry.' Teal'c noted. 'I believe it may be a painful reminder of her experience and contribute only to upsetting her further.'

Daniel sighed. 'You're probably right.' He muttered. 'And you can't go to Jack's either.'

Teal'c inclined his head. 'It is for these reasons that I sought your assistance, Daniel Jackson.'

Daniel pushed his hand through his hair. 'Right.' He could do this, he thought; he could. He started to walk out of his office but paused beside Teal'c. 'Thanks for telling me, Teal'c, and don't worry; I'll talk to them both.'

'Indeed,' murmured Teal'c with pleased satisfaction as the archaeologist left the office.

o-O-o

Daniel paused just outside Sam's lab and took a deep breath before he knocked on the open door.

Sam glanced back over her shoulder taking her eyes from the computer monitor reluctantly. She almost did a double take at the archaeologist standing in the doorway. 'Daniel.'

'Hi.' Daniel took a couple of steps inside and stopped hesitantly. 'Am I disturbing you?'

'No.' Sam denied. 'I was just going over the data from the naquadah ore.'

'Anything interesting?' Daniel asked, taking advantage of the safe topic as he made his way further inside to stand next to her.

'Amazing, actually.' Sam turned back to the monitor. 'I mean the potential uses for this stuff is incredible. The energy output from just the tiniest amount…' She shook her head. 'There has to be a way to harness it and produce the energy in a stable form for use.'

'I'm sure if anyone's going to work it out, it'll be you.' Daniel said as his eyes ran over the complex series of numbers on the screen.

'Well, it's not like I have anything else to do.' Sam muttered.

Daniel hesitated for a moment before he took the opportunity she had offered him with her words. 'The Pentagon didn't lift the restriction.'

'No.' Sam confirmed sighing. 'They didn't.' She rubbed her forehead. 'It's weird. I don't know why it bothers me so much. I mean, it's not like I don't spend most of my time on the base anyway.'

'I'm sorry, Sam.'

His heartfelt sincerity had Sam turning back to him and seeing the compassion in his blue eyes, she felt her own composure slip.

Daniel saw her face crumple and before he was aware of even moving he had stepped forward and gathered her up into a hug. 'Hey. It's going to be OK.'

Sam blinked her tears away and hugged him back. Eventually she eased back and gave a small smile as he handed her a tissue. 'Thanks.'

He rubbed her shoulder consolingly. 'Did they give a reason why?' He asked.

Sam looked down at the tissue she held and shrugged. 'The Colonel said they felt they needed more time to understand all the ramifications.'

Daniel frowned. Ramifications? Like her sensitivity to Teal'c, a voice whispered in his head, or the flashback of memory she had experienced. He blanched. 'God, Sam! I'm so sorry.'

Sam's head snapped back up. 'What for?' She asked, truly bewildered.

'This is my fault.' Daniel said, holding his head in his hands. He gestured at her bemused expression as he paced over to the far side of her lab. 'If I'd gotten you guys out sooner, you would never have had that flashback and…'

'Hey!' Sam slid off her chair and walked over to him. She laid a hand on his arm. 'This isn't your fault, Daniel. I could have had the flashback at any time.'

'You had the flashback because you were exhausted and weak from the mine while I lived in luxury.' Daniel retorted, refusing to be mollified.

'You weren't thinking straight…'

'You're right.'

'Because of the sarcophagus.' Sam said firmly. 'We all understand that, Daniel. None of us blame you for what happened.' Her eyes softened at his evident disbelief. 'We might not have understood it at the time, Daniel, but we do now. Honestly. We know it wasn't really you.'

He flushed. 'It was me though. I mean, I remember everything; beating Sergeant Morris, hurting Doctor Fraiser.' He paused before he looked up at her. 'I remember how mean I was to you.'

Sam rubbed his arm. 'It wasn't you.' She reiterated. 'The sarcophagus had your whole body out of whack, Daniel.' He ducked his head. 'Look,' she said, trying a different tactic, 'you believe Shyla's a good person, don't you? That what she did in tricking you and using the rest of us was because she was influenced by the sarcophagus?'

He nodded slowly.

'So why is it so hard to believe that we feel the same way about you?' Sam pointed out.

'It's just,' he sighed, 'I can't believe I hurt you like that and you don't have to pretend; I know you're still angry with me about it.' He looked everywhere but at her and missed her astonished expression.

'You think I'm angry with you?' Sam asked astounded.

Daniel registered her disbelief. He slowly raised his eyes to look at her. 'You…you aren't?'

'No!' Sam shot back. 'Why would you think that?'

'Well, I just thought, I mean you didn't seem to want to talk to me when we went back to P3R636 and…'

Sam sighed. 'I thought _you_ were mad at _me_.'

He frowned in confusion and pushed his glasses up his nose. 'Why would I be mad at you?'

'Because I reported you to the Colonel and General Hammond.' Sam said simply. She gestured at him. 'When you didn't want me around when you were sick I thought…'

'No,' Daniel hastened to reassure her, 'it's not that I didn't want you around, I just didn't want to hurt anyone again while I was going through withdrawal, I mean, I almost shot Jack.'

'Oh.'

They looked at each other in started realisation. Both of them moved at the same time; their arms went around the other and they started to babble apologies. They broke apart with nervous laughter.

'God, I've missed you.' Sam said, keeping hold of his hands in hers.

'I've missed you too.' Daniel said.

'Let's promise not to do this again.' Sam said firmly.

He pulled her into another hug. 'OK.' He allowed himself the luxury of revelling in the warmth of their friendship before he stepped out of their embrace. 'You know we're going to fight this decision from the Pentagon, right?'

Sam's eyes widened and she sighed ruefully. 'Actually, Daniel, as much as I hate to admit it, they may have a point.'

He frowned.

She waved a hand at him. 'Getting that flashback was scary and the thing with sensing the Goa'uld is a little weird. Maybe they're right; maybe I'm not ready to be let loose on the world yet.' She ran a finger along the length of the workbench. 'Maybe I should wait a while longer. I mean, who knows what else this whole thing with Jolinar has done to me.'

Daniel caught her hand and squeezed it. 'We'll figure it out.'

'Thanks.' Sam said. She tried a smile. 'Hey, you want to grab some ice-cream?'

'I need to go and see Jack.' Daniel smiled apologetically. 'But you might want to invite Teal'c.'

'Teal'c?' Sam asked surprised.

'Yeah,' Daniel said, 'I think he thinks because you can sense the Goa'uld he carries that you might not be comfortable around him.' He shrugged.

Sam frowned. 'Actually, it's kind of comforting.'

'You might want to tell him that.' Daniel suggested gently.

'I will.' Sam promised.

They headed out of the lab together and parted at the elevator, Sam opting to take the stairs to Teal'c's quarters while Daniel went to change into his civvies and head out of the base. Thirty minutes later, he stopped his car outside Jack's house and turned off the engine. His eyes caught on a movement on the roof and grimaced. He hadn't been particularly fond of Jack's look-out point on the roof since he had almost fallen off it. Daniel sighed and glanced over at the six-pack of beer he had picked up; he grimaced again. He snagged two bottles and opened the car door. A moment later, he half-climbed, half-fell into the roof much to Jack's amusement.

'You OK?' Jack asked as Daniel righted himself.

Daniel nodded and quickly sat down cross-legged in front of the old armchair Jack was sitting in. He handed Jack a beer.

'Thanks.' Jack said twisting the cap off. He took a gulp before he waved the bottle at the archaeologist. 'So what brings you here?'

'I heard about Sam's restriction.' Daniel said, struggling with the cap on his own beer.

'Ah.' Jack took another gulp and slouched back in the old cushions.

'I talked with Sam.' Daniel said as he finally got the bottle open.

'You did?' Jack lowered the bottle from his lips and stared at the younger man.

'Yeah.' Daniel caught Jack's surprise. 'I…uh…I guess you saw that we were…uh…'

'A little off?' Jack said. 'Yeah. I noticed.'

Daniel took a sip of his beer.

'How is she?' Jack asked casually as though the answer didn't matter to him.

'OK.' Daniel said. 'I mean, she was upset about the decision but she seemed to have accepted it by the time I left.'

'Good.' Jack said. 'That's good.' He leaned forward and stared out at the stars. His thumb rubbed at the foil label. 'I'm glad she talked to you.'

'Me too.' Daniel admitted, missing the slight note of envy in Jack's voice. 'I thought she was mad at me.'

Jack looked over at the younger man curiously. 'What exactly happened between the two of you anyway?'

'Sam didn't tell you?' Daniel asked surprised.

'No.' Jack admitted. He pointed his beer bottle at Daniel. 'She just said your behaviour was becoming extreme and she thought you needed medical attention.' His brown eyes narrowed on Daniel's guilty face. 'What happened?'

Daniel shrugged. 'I said some mean things; knocked over some stuff in her lab.' He stared at his beer. 'I think I scared her mainly.'

'She knows it wasn't really you, Daniel.' Jack assured him.

'Yeah. She told me and at least I didn't hurt her physically like Doctor Fraiser or Morris.' Daniel said.

'They're both fine, Daniel, and you've apologised to them a million times already.' Jack said. 'Stop beating yourself up about it.' He frowned. 'How did you hear about the restriction anyway?'

'Teal'c.' Daniel said.

Jack's frown deepened.

'He was concerned about Sam,' Daniel said, deliberately missing out how Teal'c had included Jack in his concern, 'and thought one of us should talk to her and he was worried she might not be comfortable with him since she can sense the Goa'uld.'

Sneaky, thought Jack admiringly. Obviously Teal'c had spotted the schism between their two team-mates and decided to use the opportunity of Sam's restriction to correct it. Jack hid his smile from Daniel. He'd have to remember to thank Teal'c in the morning.

Daniel shifted his weight a little and looked back up at Jack. 'Can I ask you something?'

Jack swallowed his mouthful of beer. 'Sure.'

'When we were in the store-room, you said you knew what it was, like you'd been through it yourself.' Daniel explained quietly. 'What did you mean?'

Jack took another gulp of beer and wondered if he could avoid the question.

'Jack?' Daniel prompted.

The Colonel sighed. 'You remember I told you about Iraq? About ending up in prison there?'

Daniel nodded.

'They drugged me, got me addicted.'

'Why?' asked Daniel horrified.

'Torture.' Jack said succinctly. 'An addict will tell you anything just for another fix.' He shifted restless at the pressing memories. 'I was a mess when I got out.'

There was a silence for a few minutes as Daniel absorbed the information about his friend.

'Thanks for telling me.' Daniel said quietly. 'It helps.'

'I'm glad I can help someone.' Jack quipped. He glared at the beer surprised at his own admission.

'Sam knows you're there for her, Jack.' Daniel asserted forcefully, waving his beer at the older man. 'Just like you've been there for me this last month.'

Jack nodded slowly.

'I, uh, I've been meaning to thank you.' Daniel began hesitantly.

'Thank me?' Jack asked confused. 'For what?'

'Helping me through all this after I almost shot you.' Daniel said, smiling nervously.

'You wouldn't have shot me, Daniel.' Jack denied.

'I might have.'

'You wouldn't.' Jack said confidently in a tone that brooked no argument.

'Well, thanks.' Daniel said eventually. 'And for having me back on the team.'

Jack shrugged. 'We need you, Daniel.'

'No, you don't.' Daniel denied.

'Yes, we do.' Jack contradicted him holding his gaze. 'You have a unique way of looking at things, Daniel.' He said. 'You don't see things the same way as the rest of us and while I might not always seem to appreciate it, and I may sometimes consider you a pain in the ass, you're a necessary pain in the ass.'

Daniel absorbed the words and felt a warm feeling spread slowly outwards from the core of his being. 'Thank you. I think.'

'Besides, who else could have talked with Sam tonight?' Jack continued.

Daniel acknowledged the compliment with a small smile and sat back. They both looked up into the clear sky.

'You know I've never realised how much I like the moon.' Daniel said thoughtfully.

'How much beer have you had, Daniel?' Jack asked, slightly perturbed at the incongruity of the statement.

Daniel smiled and looked over at the Colonel. 'I was looking at the night sky on P3R636 and there was no moon.' His eyes moved to the sky and the looming white ball in the darkness. 'I missed it.'

'There's no place like home.' Jack quipped.

Daniel nodded seriously. 'You're right. There isn't.' He turned his face up to the night sky and sat contented as Jack reclined in his armchair, a comfortable silence settling between them. And maybe, Daniel mused, he didn't need to travel to another planet to make a difference after all.


	26. Legacy

**Author's Note:** Emphasis on Sam/Daniel and Sam/Jack friendships.

**Thor's Chariot Recap:** _An object hits the iris after an unexpected incoming wormhole and leaves traces of a radiation signature unique to the box they left on Cimmeria. They send a probe and see Gairwyn who pleads with them to return; the Goa'uld have invaded the planet. SG1 convince General Hammond that they should go back as they feel a sense of responsibility having destroyed Thor's Hammer which had previously protected Cimmeria to save Teal'c. _

_Their arrival is met with appreciation from Gairwyn but suspicion from others in her village. They are saddened to hear that Kendra has died. The former Goa'uld host has left behind her old Goa'uld technology and the team are amazed to see Sam activate the hand-ribbon device although she is unable to use the healing stone. As Jack and Teal'c work to distract the invading Jaffa, Daniel and Sam go with Gairwyn to the Hall of Thor's Might where they pass a series of tests to speak with a small, grey alien who reveals he is Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet and he is talking to them in real time from aboard his ship. Thor takes Gairwyn aboard his vessel while he releases Sam and Daniel who rejoin Jack and Teal'c. They are captured by the __Jaffa__ but on their march to the Goa'uld, a huge Asgard mothership arrives and starts to beam away the Goa'uld ships and __Jaffa__ troops. Gairwyn is transported back to the planet where she reveals the Asgard will restore Thor's Hammer making an exception for the __Jaffa__ named Teal'c. _

**Legacy **

Captain Samantha Carter resolutely ignored the Goa'uld technology sat on the briefing room table in front of her and focused on the report her commanding officer was giving to the SGC commander.

'…and so this huge, _huge_, spaceship shows up and starts eliminating all traces of the Goa'uld.' Colonel Jack O'Neill waved his hands dramatically. 'The ship. The Jaffa. All of them. Just plucked them right off the planet, sir.'

'It was indeed impressive.' Teal'c concurred, folding his hands over his stomach.

'Was it a weapon of some kind?' General Hammond asked, his blue eyes sharp with interest.

'No, sir.' Sam interjected before her CO could reply. 'I believe it was beaming technology similar to that used to transport the Colonel and Teal'c to the labyrinth, sir, or Daniel and myself to the Hall of Might.'

'I believe she's right, General.' Daniel Jackson said, supporting his team-mate.

'Still,' the General mused thoughtfully, 'the discovery of that kind of technology is exactly the mission of this programme. Were you able to talk to the Asgard at all about an alliance with Earth?'

The members of SG1 exchanged a rueful look.

'Not exactly, sir.' Jack said with a sigh, throwing his pen down on the empty pad of paper in front of him.

'As we explained, sir, we did speak with Thor in the Hall of Might,' Sam said apologetically, 'but we were focused on asking for his assistance on Cimmeria and…'

'…and our audience was cut short once Thor realised the Goa'uld were on Cimmeria.' Daniel added.

Hammond waved her apology away. 'No need to explain, Captain, Doctor.'

'Gairwyn told us that Thor had told her we were too young still to talk to him.' Daniel said glumly.

'I see.' Hammond sighed. 'That is unfortunate. I don't need to tell you that we could do with making alliances with worlds and races whose technology matches or exceeds the Goa'uld.'

'I think the Asgard view us very much like the Nox.' Daniel continued.

Jack waved a hand at the archaeologist. 'But these guys are so much better than the Nox.'

'Better?' Daniel repeated, staring at Jack perplexed.

'Don't get me wrong; I love the Nox, _love them_,' Jack stressed, 'but the Asgard are obviously prepared to fight the Goa'uld and not just sit passively on the fence.'

'I didn't see the Asgard fighting.' Daniel argued passionately leaning over the table at the Colonel sat opposite him. 'They just beamed everything away.'

'They're at war with the Goa'uld, Daniel.' Jack pointed out. 'That sounds an awful lot like they're involved in fighting them to me.'

Daniel opened his mouth to speak and Hammond jumped in.

'As fascinating as this discussion is perhaps we can return to the matter at hand?' The General said mildly, his own amusement at the exchange well-hidden.

'Sorry, sir.' Jack said as Daniel mumbled his own apology. The Colonel shifted uncomfortably his eyes flickering briefly to Sam beside him before he gestured at the ribbon device and healing device sat on the briefing table. 'We may have failed to secure an alliance with the Asgard, sir, but as you can see, we were able to recover some Goa'uld technology.'

'Yes.' Hammond stared at the objects with distaste. 'You say they belonged to the former host you met on your previous visit.'

'Yes.' Daniel said. 'Kendra died in the first wave of attacks on Cimmeria and they were left by her grave as it's the Norse custom…'

'Gairwyn gave us permission to take them, sir.' Jack interrupted Daniel before he could begin lecturing in earnest on the burial rites of the Vikings.

'And Sam can use them.' Daniel blurted out.

Sam tried to look invisible.

'Excuse me?' Hammond's bald head whipped around to look at the blonde Air Force officer.

Sam straightened in her chair and met his concerned gaze directly. 'I appear to possess the ability to make the devices work, sir, although,' she waved a hand at the glittering gold on the table, 'I was only able to activate the ribbon device when I tried. I couldn't do anything with the hand healing device.'

'When you say you were able to activate it…' Hammond began.

'I was able to produce an energy blast.' Sam felt her mouth go dry at the words as the memory pounded in her head…

_The gold gleamed dully in its wooden vessel and Sam reached for the ribbon device without thinking. She was most of the way through attaching it before she realised what she had done prompted by Daniel's wary call to her. She didn't know how to answer him; only stared at her hand encased in the flimsy metal. A faint memory teased at the edge of her consciousness as she felt the cold metal on her skin. The crystal sat in the palm of her hand, a heavy and strangely familiar weight. Her veins buzzed with something; an itch along her skin, in her head. She turned her palm upwards and stared at the device…something…the power surged and the crystal glowed. _

_'You possess the power.' Gairwyn exclaimed. _

_'What?' Sam said panicked. Her hand had become foreign to Sam; the alien device adorning it adding to her sense of disassociation from it. She looked at Daniel who had moved to the other side of Kendra's grave. _

_'Well, that would make sense, wouldn't it?' He said. _

_Sam didn't see it herself. 'Why?' She demanded. _

_'Well, Kendra retained the power to use Goa'uld technology because she used to be a host to a Goa'uld. You must retain the ability because you were host to Jolinar.' _

_Sam's eyes widened. 'Yeah, but I have no control over this.' She admitted. _

_'Kendra said it took her years to master the magic of the power.' Gairwyn said comfortingly. _

_Jack paused by the gathered group. 'Are we ready to move out here?' _

_'Uh, a little discovery here.' Daniel said, gesturing at their female team-mate. 'Sam seems to have the ability to use Goa'uld technology.' _

_'Really?' Jack's brown eyes landed on her sceptically. 'Let's see.' _

_Sam shifted nervously. 'Well, it seems to have a mind of its own, sir.' _

_'Concentrate.' Gairwyn encouraged. _

_Sam held her hand out, palm facing towards the ground and did as the Cimmerian woman asked. She focused. A pressure built in her mind; the whisper of memories not her own. She could feel the strange zinging in her veins again, the sensations of something crawling beneath her skin and the rush as the power expelled itself through the device, blasting the soil. _

_They all flinched; their arms went up to protect themselves from the flying dirt. _

_Jack lowered his arm and gestured at a frozen Sam. 'Hey! Watch where you're pointing that thing!' _

_She belatedly realised her palm was directed at him and Gairwyn. 'Sorry.' She muttered as she hastened to remove the device from her hand; she wanted it off her and she wasn't sure she ever wanted to put it back on again… _

'Captain?'

Sam jerked at the sound of the General's concerned voice and her cheeks reddened as she realised she hadn't been paying attention. 'Sorry, sir.'

Hammond turned back to Jack. 'You were saying, Colonel.'

Jack's worried brown eyes shifted from Sam back to the General. 'As I was saying, sir, I would class that thing,' he pointed at the ribbon device, 'as a liability rather than an asset at this point. It could easily take us out never mind the enemy.'

Sam flushed feeling as though she had been chastised for her inability to control the device although she knew her CO hadn't meant it like that and she couldn't actually deny his point.

'But if Sam learns to use them over time, they could be a huge asset.' Daniel argued.

'I'm not sure about that, Daniel.' Jack said firmly. 'Tactically, that device has limited use in the field.'

'The Goa'uld use the device primarily as a personal weapon for their own protection.' Teal'c added. 'It serves no purpose in battle.'

Jack pointed at him. 'See.'

'The healing device would be an asset though. You can't deny that.' Daniel gestured. 'Imagine if you'd had it when you guys were stuck in Antarctica.'

Jack sighed as even Teal'c inclined his head in agreement. 'He has a point, General.'

Hammond nodded. He looked over at Sam who had stayed quiet during the exchange between her team-mates. 'Captain?'

Sam tried hard not to squirm as all eyes turned in her direction. 'According to Gairwyn, it took Kendra a significant amount of time to learn how to use the devices and she was a Goa'uld host for a much longer period than my experience with Jolinar. She may even have retained memories of how to use them. I'm not certain I'll ever be able to use the devices fully as she did, sir.' She paused. 'Also given that Kendra and I have retained this ability, it suggests that there is a physiological reason why we're able to use the devices and if that's true there maybe side-effects from using the technology without a Goa'uld symbiote.'

Daniel frowned at her across the table. 'But…'

Hammond held up a hand. 'It seems to me that we need to understand a lot more about these devices before we begin to consider them for any field use.' His tone had an air of finality. 'I'll assign one of our base scientists to look at the devices and their potential use.' He focused back on Sam. 'Captain, you may be needed for the odd test in determining how these devices work.'

'I understand, sir.' Sam said, hiding her distaste at the idea.

He sighed. 'I also don't have to tell you that this news is likely to convince the Pentagon to continue your restriction to base.' The restriction had been in place since Sam's experience with Jolinar despite attempts to convince the Pentagon it was no longer necessary given Sam's recovery.

Sam nodded; it had already occurred to her given the past reasons why the Pentagon hadn't lifted the restriction.

Hammond finished the debriefing and dismissed them. The team headed for the elevator with an Airman who took custody of the Goa'uld technology. Daniel and Jack picked up their discussion on the Asgard and the Nox and Sam listened to their continued bickering with amusement. The Airmen headed out to the science labs and Daniel made to leave before he realised Sam wasn't moving. The elevator doors slid shut as he frowned at her.

'You're not going to the labs?' Daniel asked surprised.

Sam shook her head. 'It's late. I think I'm going to head for bed.'

The three men exchanged a look of surprise.

'What?' She asked defensively.

'Nothing.' Jack denied. He held her gaze. 'You OK, Carter?'

'Yes, sir. Just a little tired.' Sam explained.

Daniel's frown deepened. 'You think that's a side-effect from using the Goa'uld device?'

'I'm just tired, Daniel.' Sam said firmly.

'I thought you'd want to get started on working out how they operate.' Daniel said, pushing his glasses up his nose. Sam was usually the first one ready to work on a new piece of technology.

She shrugged unwilling to admit that she didn't really want to have anything to do with the Goa'uld devices at all.

'Well, they're not going anywhere, Daniel,' Jack said mildly, stepping into support Sam, 'and we could all do with a good night's sleep.'

Sam smiled gratefully at him.

'But…' Daniel began.

'You're just trying to change the subject,' Jack accused him lightly, 'because you know I'm right; the Asgard would make better allies than the Nox.'

'You're not right.' Daniel shot back successfully diverted.

The elevator slid to a halt at the floor for Sam's quarters and she slipped out with a murmured goodnight to the guys.

Daniel sighed. 'You guys really think she's OK? She always loves taking new technology apart. I mean, she should be excited by this'

'I think she's OK.' Jack said, covering his own concern.

'I believe Captain Carter is disturbed by her ability to use the Goa'uld technology.' Teal'c stated.

Daniel missed Jack's visible wince at the Jaffa's blunt honesty as his brow creased in confusion. 'But why? I mean, it's great that she can use it. It's finally something positive to come out of her experience with Jolinar.'

'Maybe she just doesn't see it that way, Daniel.' Jack commented, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

'It is likely another reminder of her traumatic experience.' Teal'c offered.

'Yeah, there's that.' Jack agreed, remembering the look of revulsion on Sam's face after she had activated the ribbon device.

Daniel slumped against the wall of the compartment. 'Why didn't she say something?'

'This is Carter we're talking about.' Jack pointed out exasperated.

'I should go and see her.' Daniel said straightening. 'Check that she's OK.'

Jack and Teal'c exchanged a look.

'Why don't you leave it for tonight and give her some space, Daniel?' Jack suggested. 'She's had a big day finding out about all this. She probably just needs some time to get her head around it.'

'Indeed,' agreed Teal'c.

'I guess you're right.' Daniel said, unhappily folding his arms.

Jack slapped his hand onto Daniel's shoulder. 'Now about the Asgard…'

o-O-o

Sam had just pulled the covers back on her bed when she heard the knock on the door to her room. She frowned. 'Who is it?'

'It's me, Daniel.'

Sam looked down at her attire of a t-shirt and pyjama pants and sighed. He'd seen her in less. She padded over to the door and opened it. 'What's up?'

Daniel pushed past her into the room and whirled to face her as she closed the door. 'I wanted to see how you were.' He'd gotten half-way to his apartment before he had turned his car around and headed back to the base. He'd been too disturbed at the idea that Sam might be alone and hurting despite Teal'c's assurance that he would check in on their team-mate.

'What for?' Sam asked bemused.

'Because I got so excited about the Goa'uld technology that I forgot how finding out you could use it probably made you feel.' Daniel said as he caught her blue eyes with his own abashed gaze. 'I'm sorry.'

'You don't need to apologise, Daniel.' Sam said as she sat down on the end of the bed. Her fingers plucked at the old quilt. 'You didn't do anything wrong.'

Daniel grabbed a chair by the desk and sat down in front of her. 'So; how do you feel about everything that's happened today?'

She shrugged. 'I don't know.' She said honestly. She looked down at the pattern on the bedspread, her finger tracing over it. 'You know when we met Kendra, I thought she was a bit of a…a flake but she must have been so strong, Daniel.' She shook her head. 'I don't know how she did it; living for so long as a host and surviving afterwards, learning to use the technology so she could help people.' she rubbed her arms. 'I wish she was still alive.'

'Because she would have truly understood what you've been through.' Daniel surmised, his blue eyes gleaming with empathy.

Sam nodded. 'Don't get me wrong, Daniel, you guys have been great and I don't know how I would have got through the last few months without you all but…'

'But we don't really understand what you're feeling.' Daniel sighed.

'I just hope this is it,' Sam said simply, 'that there aren't anymore surprises because at the moment it just feels like every time I think I'm OK, something else happens.' Her eyes caught on something in Daniel's expression and she frowned. 'What?'

'Well, I was just thinking,' Daniel began his innate curiosity surfacing again, 'why did you put the ribbon device on? I mean, when I realised what you were doing, you looked like you were in a trance.'

Sam recalled the detachment she had felt as she had placed her hand through the metal and slipped the finger pieces on. 'I don't know.' She said eventually. 'I picked it up to have a closer look but then…I don't know I wasn't thinking about what I was doing exactly, I didn't even realise I was putting it on until you said my name.'

Daniel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. 'Do you think that maybe you put it on without thinking because as a Goa'uld it would be second nature to you? Something you would do without thinking. I mean, I'm not saying you're a Goa'uld because you're not; obviously,' he added hurriedly at her look of horror, 'but you have the memories of one buried in your subconscious and that has to include ingrained personality traits and habits. Maybe putting on the ribbon device was one of Jolinar's.'

It was an uncomfortable thought, Sam mused, hugging herself tightly.

Daniel took a deep breath. 'Have you thought about exploring Jolinar's memories?' He suggested. 'Maybe there's something in them that would be explain all this. We could try hypnosis or…'

Sam felt her stomach roil at the thought of examining her buried memories. 'I don't think so, Daniel.'

'You were able to pick up on the information about the use of the sarcophagus being detrimental to someone's health.' Daniel said. 'Who knows what other useful information they could hold? Maybe they'll show you how to use the devices or…or even how to find the Tok'ra.'

'The Tok'ra?' Sam asked taken aback.

'I've been doing some research and there are a couple of ancient texts that mention a resistance to Ra led by a Queen.' Daniel explained. 'It's all very vague but they do exist and the key to finding them could be in Jolinar's memories.'

'I don't want Jolinar's memories.' Sam said forcefully. 'It's bad enough I was a host without all…this.' She swept her hands through her hair and bowed her head. 'I just want to be me. I don't want to have the memories of a Goa'uld or be able to use their technology. All I want is just to be me.' Her voice dropped to a whisper. 'Samantha Carter.'

Daniel moved to the bed and put his arm around Sam rubbing her back gently. She resisted for a moment before she eased her head onto his shoulder.

'I'm sorry, Sam.' Daniel said. 'I talk too much. You should just punch me or something, shut me up.'

Sam gave a short laugh. 'I wouldn't suggest that to Teal'c. He might take you literally.'

'Yeah.' Daniel agreed. 'I don't think I'll suggest it to Jack either; he'd probably just take me up on it.'

She laughed then and eased away from him.

Daniel dropped his hand from her back and slipped off the bed. 'I'd better get going.'

Sam nodded and got up. 'Thanks, Daniel.' She walked him to the door and opened it.

He stopped just outside and turned back to her. 'Sam…'

She looked at him quizzically.

He smiled a little hesitantly. 'At the risk of being punched, I think you should consider the memory thing.' He held up a hand. 'Think about it. If the Tok'ra really do exist then who better to help you understand everything you're going through?' He gestured at her. ''Night.'

''Night.' She said belatedly as he walked away down the corridor. She shut the door slowly and walked back over to the bed where she climbed under the covers. She snapped the light off, plunging the room into darkness but her eyes stayed open staring at the ceiling as their conversation played over and over in her head.

o-O-o

_She was running. Trees zipping past her, branches scratching her skin, pulling at the silken garment she wore. Her harsh pants rent the air. The __Jaffa__ were close behind her; she could hear the clang and clink of their metal armour. She tripped on a fallen branch and almost lost her footing; she kept going. She had a cargo ship hidden in the forest…she could make it… _

_The staff blast heated her skin as it shot past her cheek and impacted the tree in front of her. She gave a cry; her arms going up to protect herself from the splinters that flew toward her face. She turned; they were almost on her; she could see their faces, hear their grunts. _

_She stopped and drew a breath. Her hand went up; palm outwards to the __Jaffa__ soldiers…power raced through her veins sharp and sweet…the blast hit them squarely, threw them backwards…they were dead. Her body buzzed at the sight of the corpses… _

Sam woke with a gasp in the darkness and fumbled for the light. The nightmare pounded in her veins, her vision seeing not the reassuring grey walls of her quarters but the green foliage closing in on her. She struggled into a sitting position and took a deep breath, then another. Her heartbeat finally slowed; reality asserting itself. She slumped back on the pillows and reached for the water by her bed. She gulped greedily, liquid spilling down her chin. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. The nightmare was already fading; the details obscured by her flight into consciousness and leaving only the faint trace of fear and danger.

She was crying, she realised in shock, feeling the wetness on her cheeks. She rubbed at her eyes. She wouldn't cry. She was done crying about this, she thought furiously. It didn't stop the tears and finally she gave in. She pressed her face to the pillow, covered her head with her arms and sobbed. It seemed like hours later that she stirred. Her eyes stung; her throat was raw.

She felt better.

She slipped from the bed and pulled her grandmother's quilt around her to give her warmth before she padded over to the bookshelf and picked up the picture of her parents, her eyes drinking in the image of her late mother. She replaced it on the shelf and picked up her music box. She carried it back to the bed and clambered into the centre. A moment later she sat cross-legged, snuggled into the folds of the quilt with the box open in front of her.

The strains of the music drifted out and soothed her. Sam closed her eyes and rocked back and forth to the melody…

_'Samantha?' Katherine Carter knocked gently and pushed the semi-open door of her teenage daughter's bedroom open. _

_Sam looked up from her place in the centre of her bed, her old childhood bear clutched to her and her music box open in front of her. She swiped at the tears on her pale face. 'Sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to wake you.' _

_Katherine tightened the belt on her dressing gown and crossed the room to sit beside her daughter. 'What's wrong, sweetie?' She asked, stroking Sam's long blonde hair over her shoulder. _

_'Nightmare.' Sam mumbled. Her mother sat close enough that she could smell the lotion her mother used on her skin; the faint citrus scent comforted her. _

_'What about?' Katherine asked gently. It had been years since Sam had experienced a nightmare. _

_'I don't want to talk about it.' Sam said, shifting position and avoiding her mother's sapphire blue eyes. _

_Katherine reached into a pocket and wiped her daughter's tears from her heart-shaped face, awed as always at the smart, beautiful child she had borne. 'Blow.' She advised, handing the tissue to Sam. _

_Sam followed the instruction. _

_Her mother gently brushed Sam's bangs out of her eyes and held her gaze firmly. 'Now tell me about your nightmare.' _

_Sam shook her head stubbornly. _

_Katherine repressed the urge to sigh. Sometimes Sam was very much Jacob's daughter. 'You know, Samantha, nightmares and dreams are our mind's way of talking to us. They show us things we need to deal with and there's no pointing hiding from them. You only make your fear worse if you don't confront them.' She nudged Sam's chin until her daughter was looking at her. 'Tell me about your nightmare.' _

_Sam dropped her gaze and shivered. 'I dreamt Dad died.' _

_'You dreamt your Dad died?' Katherine repeated searching Sam's expression. _

_'There were officers who came and you tried to stop them from telling us but they said it anyway.' Sam confessed, the words spilling out in a rush. 'That Dad was gone; that he'd died.' _

_'Oh honey.' Katherine sighed and clasped Sam to her. She rubbed Sam's back comfortingly. 'I know you're worried about your father's new assignment.' Jacob had left for overseas the day before. She sighed and pulled back to look at Sam sombrely. 'I won't lie to you, Samantha; there is going to be day, hopefully in the dim and distant future when your father, or I, maybe both of us, won't be with you anymore.' She cupped Sam's cheek. 'People die, sweetie, that's life and you're too smart not to know that. But you need to remember something.' _

_'What?' whispered Sam. _

_'We're always going to be with you too.' Katherine touched her hand to Sam's chest. 'Right in here. You'll never be truly alone, sweetie, because we're a part of you.' _

_'I like that.' Sam murmured. 'But you're not going to die any time soon, right?' _

_Katherine smiled and brushed her own blonde hair back over her shoulder. 'I'm not planning to and neither is your Dad.' She tweaked Sam's nose and was reassured as Sam smiled back at her. _

_'Come on, trouble, back into bed. You've got school tomorrow.' Katherine directed. One hand pushed Sam back towards the pillows as the other closed the music box. She placed it on the bedside table before she smoothed the quilt over Sam in a gesture her teenage daughter hadn't let her perform for a couple of years. _

_Katherine kissed her forehead and smiled down at her daughter. 'Remember; don't hide from your nightmares, Samantha. Be brave and face them.' _

Sam closed the music box. She set it aside, switched the light off and settled back on her pillows, staring into the darkness with the words her mother had spoken to her so many years before ringing in her ears.

o-O-o

'So what's up, Carter?' Jack asked without preamble. He'd come directly to Sam's lab on entering the base. The Captain had woken him with a phone call asking to speak to him as soon as he got in and the urgency in her voice had convinced him getting an early start to the day would be a good idea. He hadn't even bothered to change into his uniform from his civvies outfit of khaki pants, black t-shirt and leather jacket before making his way to see her.

Sam turned around from her computer as Jack entered closing the door behind him. She briefly wondered how Jack managed to look effortlessly awake at six o'clock in the morning whereas she looked like she had been dragged through a hedge backwards. 'Thanks for coming to see me so quickly, sir.'

Jack shrugged. 'It sounded important.' He hopped up onto the central workbench beside her, his hands automatically reaching for a gadget Carter had left lying around.

She took a deep breath and met his curious brown eyes directly. 'Sir, I've been thinking…'

He resisted the urge to make a glib remark.

'…about the memories of Jolinar that I have in my subconscious.' She took another breath. 'I think they should be examined to see if there is any useful intel.'

Jack's expression had sobered completely at her words. 'Examined?' He asked.

'Yes, sir.' Sam gestured at him weakly. 'Through hypnosis or some other means.'

He pressed his lips together as he considered his response. 'Can I ask what prompted this decision?'

Sam dropped her gaze. She suppressed the urge to wipe the palms of her hands on her thighs. 'It was really Daniel's suggestion…'

'Daniel.' Jack sighed. He shook his head. He might have known the younger man wouldn't have left it alone. 'Sorry, Carter.' He apologised as she looked at him quizzically. 'Continue.'

'Well, Daniel thought if I examined the memories we might be able to discover how to use the Goa'uld technology we brought back from Cimmeria or even find the Tok'ra…'

'The Tok'ra?' Jack asked sceptically.

'Daniel researched them and he thinks there is the possibility that they really do exist, sir.' Sam said hurriedly.

Of course Daniel had researched them, Jack thought dryly.

'…and if they do exist then they might be potential allies.' Sam continued.

Jack had his own thoughts on that but he didn't share them. He sighed and put the gadget back down. He clasped his hands together and looked at Sam. 'You know, Carter, I kinda got the impression you just wanted to put all this behind you. Why the change of mind?'

'Well, like Daniel said sir…'

'Forget Daniel.' Jack ordered. He held her surprised gaze. 'What do you want? Really want.'

Sam bit her lip. The conversation wasn't going the way she had anticipated. She'd expected the Colonel to jump at the chance for them to find a way to use the Goa'uld technology or gather more intel. She shuffled a little nervously under his steady regard. She forced her gaze upwards to meet his.

'I want to forget it ever happened, sir,' she admitted quietly, 'but it did.' She gathered her thoughts. 'Whether I like it or not I have these memories.' She hesitated before she confessed the rest. 'And I remembered something my Mom said to me.'

'Oh?' Jack said interested.

Sam nodded. 'She told me once that I shouldn't hide from my nightmares; that I should always be brave and face them.' She gestured at him. 'If I do nothing with these memories, if I hide from them, then everything I've been through will have been for nothing.' She shrugged. 'If I face the memories and find something, even something small, maybe it'll help make it worthwhile somehow; give what happened to me some meaning. That's why I want…' she stopped and corrected herself, 'that's why I need to do this, Colonel.'

His brown eyes remained locked on hers as he considered his answer. 'OK.' He said simply. 'I'll take it to General Hammond.'

She breathed out in relief. 'Thank you, sir.'

'I'm sure he'll want to speak to you himself about it,' Jack commented, jumping down from the bench, 'and there's bound to be a host of physical and psych tests you'll need to do before anything happens.'

'Understood, sir.' Sam said.

'And feel free to change your mind again, Carter.' Jack said firmly. 'Nobody's going to force you into doing this if you don't want to; I'll make sure of that.'

She nodded, reassured and convinced by the protectiveness gleaming in his eyes.

'OK, then.' Jack tapped the workbench and gestured at the door. 'I'm going to find some coffee.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam spun back towards her computer.

'Sam.'

She looked over her shoulder surprised at Jack's use of her first name and frowned at the sight of him; he stood framed in the open doorway, backlit from the light in the corridor. 'Sir?'

Jack's warm brown eyes met her inquisitive blue gaze. 'Your Mom would be proud of you.' He gave her a lopsided smile and left.

Sam stared at the empty space stunned before she turned jerkily back to her monitor, a strange sense of peace enveloping her. She closed her eyes briefly, a hand drifting to press against her heart as her mother's had once done. 'Thank you, Mom.' She whispered. Her eyes opened again; resolute and determined.

Samantha Carter got back to work.


	27. Undomesticated Equines

**Author's Note:** Jack/Team friendship. Sam/Janet friendship.

**Message in a Bottle Recap:** _SG1 find a rare artefact on a planetoid and bring it back to the SGC. Sam and Daniel begin to examine the orb but barely scratch the surface before they are due back out in the field. As Jack orders them to rest, the orb starts omitting a strange radiation and Sam suggests that they take it back through the Stargate ASAP. Jack and Teal'c carry the orb into the gate room where it suddenly starts to develop spikes, rooting itself in the floor and slamming one through Jack's shoulder and pinning him to the wall. Teal'c blasts the orb with his staff weapon but it does nothing, and __Hammond__ listens to Sam's suggestion that they need more info before doing anything else. _

_Sam and Daniel pull together a team to start examining the evidence as Teal'c remains with a sickening Jack. Under ultra-violet light they are able to see an organism spreading throughout Jack, the walls of the SGC, everywhere. Antibiotics slow its progress but Lt Simmons, who has a crush on Sam, is allergic and badly affected. Sam works out that it feeds on energy and asks __Hammond__ to belay the self-destruct now counting down but the computer becomes infected. Daniel finally works out the organism is trying communicate and Sam makes the leap that it's trying to communicate through Jack. She suggests they let it grow contrary to their previous actions in trying to stop it. _

_She takes Jack's hand and quietly informs him that her plan might kill him and his thumb rubs over hers in understanding and acceptance. Initially the plan seems to do just that but Jack starts to talk – it's the organism. They agree to send the orb to another planet and it relinquishes its control of the SGC just in time for Hammond and Sam to stop the self-destruct. A tired Jack, back to himself, congratulates them on a nice job. _

**Undomesticated Equines **

Janet Fraiser took a deep breath and stepped out of the private infirmary room to face the three members of SG1 hovering in the corridor. She rubbed tiredly at the pain throbbing in her temple, a reminder of her own lack of sleep.

'Is Colonel O'Neill OK?' Samantha Carter asked worriedly. An hour before the Colonel's body had been taken over temporarily by an alien virus. They had all escorted their exhausted and shaky team leader to the infirmary to get checked out but Sam felt an element of personal responsibility for his condition; it had been her idea to let the virus take over him.

Janet smiled sympathetically at the tall blonde. 'He's fine, Captain. His body is clear of the virus but it did sustain a massive shock being so exposed to it and from the spike in his shoulder. He just needs to rest.'

Everybody winced. The moment when the metal orb containing the virus had sprung spikes, one of them lodging in the Colonel's shoulder and pinning him to a wall would stay with them all for a long time.

'Can we see him?' Daniel Jackson asked plaintively folding his arms around his torso.

The doctor glanced at his wide, blue staring eyes and pale face; the mess of brown hair pinned back by his glasses. 'For a few moments,' she agreed, 'but then I want you all to get some rest.' She stepped aside and the archaeologist immediately dived through the open space into the room. Sam followed after him swiftly, leaving Teal'c to follow at a more sedate pace. The dark Jaffa bowed his shaved head at Janet as he passed. She followed him in and stood by the door. She had no intention of the team wearing out her patient.

'Jack?' Daniel's eyes roamed over his friend in the infirmary bed. Jack looked surprisingly vulnerable stripped of his uniform and dressed in the medical gown.

The older man's brown eyes flickered open. 'Hey.'

'How are you feeling, sir?' Sam said, taking up a position on the opposite side of the bed from Daniel, her hand automatically landed on Jack's arm to reassure herself with touch that he was still with them.

Jack's head turned slightly to glance at her reassuringly. 'I'm OK, Carter.'

'Jack, I'm…' Daniel caught himself and gestured to include Sam, 'we're so sorry.'

'What for?' Jack asked bemused.

'Well, this.' Daniel waved at hand at the hospital bed. 'I thought the orb would be something incredible and…'

'Daniel,' Jack interrupted the younger man abruptly, 'I made the call to bring the thing back here.'

'On our advice.' Daniel shot back.

'He's right, sir.' Sam muttered quietly, looking down at the bright white sheet that covered her CO.

Jack exchanged a look with Teal'c. The two of them had talked about the rights and wrongs of the decision to bring the orb to the SGC during Jack's time pinned to the wall by the spike.

'Look, I'm not going to deny we screwed up.' Jack said assertively. 'We took a risk and it didn't work out but we fixed it; that's the important thing.' He raised a hand from the bed and gestured wearily. 'Bright side, we don't have to go to P4G8…whatever.'

'True.' Daniel said brightening.

'Indeed,' added Teal'c.

A noise by the door had all of them looking in that direction and a moment later General Hammond entered the room to join his flagship team. Jack started to move further up the bed and the General stopped him with a raised hand.

'That's OK, son. Don't get up on my account.' Hammond took in the younger man's wan face. 'I just wanted to let you know the President sends his thanks and appreciation to you all at the way the crisis was resolved.'

'Thank you, sir.' Jack said. 'But I didn't really do anything. It was mostly these guys.' He gestured at his team.

'Actually, it was Sam.' Daniel said firmly, his eyes moving to his female team-mate who had moved into a semblance of the at ease pose, her hands tucked behind her back.

Sam looked up surprised. 'Me?' She shook her head at Daniel. 'You realised the organism was trying to communicate with us.'

'And you realised it was trying to communicate through Jack.' Daniel replied forcefully. 'It was your idea to let it grow.'

Sam coloured. 'Actually, shooting the orb was originally the Colonel's idea.'

'Yes but I thought it would kill it not make it grow.' Jack's eyes caught on hers. 'You put it altogether in the end, Captain.' He frowned at the flicker of disbelief in her eyes.

'Yes, she did.' Hammond said proudly before he looked back at Jack. 'So how are you doing, Colonel?'

'Fine, sir.' Jack said cheerfully.

Janet stepped forward, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her white coat. 'He will be better after some rest.' She said pointedly.

Hammond's thin eyebrows rose slightly as her determined brown eyes caught his pale blue ones. He guessed that was his cue to leave. He looked over at Sam. 'Captain, once you're finished here we could do with your assistance on the gate diagnostic.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam said.

Hammond nodded. 'I'll leave you to it.' He left as swiftly as he arrived and Janet breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't had to kick her superior officer out of the room with more force. She cleared her throat.

Jack took the hint. 'You guys should go and get some rest too.' He ordered. His eyes flickered to Daniel. 'You look like crap.'

Daniel patted Jack's arm. 'Thanks, Jack.' He said dryly. 'Glad to see you're feeling better.' He stepped away from the bed and Teal'c stepped forward.

'If you wish, O'Neill, I could remain here with you.' Teal'c offered. He'd stood guard over his friend during the whole ordeal and he was strangely reluctant to relinquish his role.

'I'm OK, Teal'c.' Jack stretched out a hand and Teal'c clasped his forearm warmly as their gazes met and held. 'Thank you.'

Teal'c inclined his head and he let go of Jack to leave.

'We'll see you later, sir.' Sam said softly. She took a step back and went to follow her team-mates out under Janet's watchful gaze. She was almost at the door when Jack cleared his throat.

'Carter, can you stay a minute?'

Janet whirled around. 'Colonel…' she protested.

'I just need a minute here, Doc.' Jack said his brown eyes capturing hers with a pleading expression.

Janet looked from Jack to Sam and back again. 'One minute.' She said. They both nodded. The doctor sighed and left the room closing the door behind her.

Jack gestured for Sam to approach the bed. 'You did a good job today, Carter.' He took in the way she avoided his eyes. 'But I'm kinda getting the impression you don't think you did.'

Sam finally met his eyes. 'I should have let Teal'c continue shooting the orb with the staff weapon after it first impacted you, sir.'

'Actually, I was thinking I shouldn't have given the order for him to shoot it in the first place.' Jack said wryly.

'Sir?' Sam blurted out surprised.

Jack raised a hand from the bed and lowered it again. 'I was the one who screwed up, Captain.'

'But you brought the orb through on Daniel's and my…'

'Not about bringing the orb back.' Jack interjected. 'Although, that too, but I mean about shooting the orb.' He sighed and held her quizzical gaze. 'If I hadn't ordered Teal'c to shoot the orb, the organism wouldn't have grown as fast; you and Daniel would have had more time to put all the pieces together maybe even without worrying about the self-destruct going off.'

'We might not have made as many discoveries as quickly though, sir.' Sam said quietly.

'So maybe everything worked out in the end.' Jack pointed out briskly.

'Maybe, sir.' Sam admitted.

'No maybes about it, Carter.' He corrected her. 'You saved all our lives today. Ah!' He held up a finger. 'No arguments, Captain.'

'No, sir.' Sam gave a weak smile and gestured at the door. 'Well, I should probably…'

He nodded. 'Have fun with the gate, Carter.'

'Yes, sir.' She made her way out and glanced back to see him snuggling into the pillows as he gave into his exhaustion at last. She closed the door gently. Somehow the act seemed to use the last of her energy and she slumped against the corridor wall, her churning emotions swimming to the surface.

'Captain Carter?' She heard Janet's concerned voice behind her. 'Are you alright?'

Sam swiped at her face before she pushed off the wall but she didn't turn around to face her friend. 'I'm fine.'

'No, you're not.' Janet said, coming up alongside beside Sam. She slid an arm around Sam's shoulder. 'Come on.'

'I can't.' Sam said, fresh tears appearing in her eyes. 'I have to go check on the gate.'

'It'll wait five minutes.' Janet said firmly. Even though Sam had a good half a foot on her she pushed the younger woman insistently down the corridor and into her office where she installed the Captain on a plastic chair. She disappeared to a coffee station and returned a minute later with a mug of the dark stewed brew. She handed it to Sam before she sat in her own chair.

Sam took one sip and her eyes widened. 'Holy Hannah.' She stared at the drink. 'What is that?'

'Sorry.' Janet said insincerely. 'We have it stronger than normal.'

Sam refrained from comment with difficulty. She changed the subject. 'How's Lieutenant Simmons?'

Janet gave her a knowing look. 'He's stable. A little embarrassed that he almost told you about his crush when he thought he was dying.'

'If you want I can go in and see him before I head to the control room.' Sam offered.

'Nice try, Sam.' Janet said dryly. She leaned forward. 'You want to tell me why you're upset.'

Sam tried to avoid the doctor's dark earnest eyes but failed. She set the mug down and clasped her hands. 'I killed him, Janet.'

Janet kept quiet and allowed the other woman to talk.

'For a split-second there…' Sam shook her head as she felt tears pressing against the back of her eyes again. She looked up at the ceiling refusing to let them fall. 'I couldn't feel his pulse and I just thought…I thought he was dead. That my stupid plan had killed him. That I'd killed him.'

'Colonel O'Neill is going to be fine.' Janet said softly. 'And your stupid plan saved him; it saved this base and it saved the rest of the planet.' She could see the denial in Sam's eyes and she reached forward to take Sam's hands in hers. 'And I know the Colonel would say the same to you.'

It was Sam's turn to fall silent.

'Look, you've been working for God knows how many hours and most of that on an adrenaline-fuelled high. You're not thinking straight about this.' Janet said. 'You need sleep.'

'I have to help with the gate diagnostic.' Sam said stubbornly.

'I could make it an order.' Janet commented, a hint of steel entering her voice.

'I'll sleep as soon as the gate diagnostic is done.' Sam promised.

Janet nodded slowly. 'OK. But immediately afterwards.'

'I promise.' Sam said. She took a deep breath and stood up. 'Thanks for the coffee.'

o-O-o

Daniel lurked impatiently in the doorway of Hammond's office. He'd heard Jack call back Sam and he had guessed at the reasons why; Sam had been pivotal in solving the problem with the orb but she didn't seem to see it that way and he knew Sam probably wouldn't see it that way despite Jack or anyone else telling her differently. He had a plan and all he needed was the General's help. He shuffled his feet and swayed back and forth as he waited for Hammond to be done on the phone.

Hammond finally replaced the receiver into its cradle and waved Daniel inside the office. 'Did you need something Doctor Jackson?' He asked as the archaeologist entered and closed the door.

'Yeah, I…uh…I wanted to talk to you about Sam.' Daniel said hesitantly, crossing his arms.

The General's eyebrows rose a little. 'What about Captain Carter?'

'I wanted to talk to you about her restriction to base.' Daniel said clearly.

Hammond sighed. He'd been expecting the conversation for a while. He had seen how increasingly unhappy Daniel had become with the restrictions placed on his female team-mate after her time as a host to Jolinar. 'Doctor Jackson…'

'Please hear me out.' Daniel said, talking over the older man and gesturing at him frantically.

Hammond sighed but nodded as he leaned back and folded his hands over his slightly paunchy stomach.

'It's been months since Sam was taken as a host by Jolinar,' Daniel began, 'and there have been no incidents since then that in any way suggest that she's still inhabited by the Goa'uld symbiote. She's just been Sam.'

'Doctor…'

'I know what you're going to say,' Daniel paced away from the desk and across the room agitated and oblivious to the sympathetic look on Hammond's face, 'that she remembered about the sarcophagus stuff from her repressed memories when we were on P3R636 but that was my fault. If I hadn't left everyone in the mine for so long she wouldn't have got so exhausted and she's even offered to review those memories, no matter how painful to her, in order to provide any useful knowledge they contain.' He whirled around to face the General. 'And we've seen ourselves with Kendra that being able to use the Goa'uld technology after you've been a host is certainly possible so the fact that she can do that doesn't mean anything.'

Hammond cleared his throat. 'Doctor Jackson…'

'Sir, Sam just saved this entire planet.' Daniel waved his hand.

'I know she did, son.' Hammond tried to interrupt again but to no avail.

'Sure we all contributed but if it hadn't been for Sam making the connection to Jack we'd never have talked to the virus and worked out the compromise. Doesn't that show…I don't know…something?' He turned suddenly and slapped his hands on the desk. He leaned over it, his blue eyes intent on General Hammond. 'She doesn't deserve to be restricted to base, General.'

'I agree with you, Doctor Jackson.'

His words took Daniel by surprise and the archaeologist stared at him for almost a full minute. 'You do?' He straightened frowning. 'I mean, you do?'

'I do.' Hammond reiterated. 'Unfortunately my superiors do not.'

'You've spoken with them?' Daniel asked bemused.

'Just now.' Hammond waved at the phone. 'I'm sorry but my hands are tied.'

Daniel thrust his hand through his hair. 'There has to be something more we can do.'

Hammond gestured at him. 'If you can think of a way, I'm all ears, Doctor.'

The younger man spun away from the desk and paced up and down the small office. He stopped suddenly and almost jumped as he turned back to Hammond. 'The President.'

'I'm sorry?' Hammond asked confused.

'It's a chain of command, right?' Daniel explained. 'So if the top of the chain gives the order to have Sam released from her restriction then everyone below including the Joint Chiefs have to execute the order.'

Hammond tapped his desk thoughtfully. 'You're asking me to circumvent my superior officers, Doctor Jackson. That's not a card you want to play too often in the military.'

'I know that, General, but isn't Sam worth it?' Daniel asked passionately. 'Doesn't she deserve at least this for what she did today? Don't we owe her something?'

Hammond wasn't immune either to Daniel's pleading look or to his own belief that the restriction had gone on long enough. 'Leave it with me, Doctor Jackson.'

Daniel opened his mouth to argue further but a brief look at the General's face had him reconsidering. He nodded and left the office without another word. He stopped in the briefing room and glanced back through the internal window; Hammond was reaching for the phone again but this time he was reaching for the red phone. Daniel punched the air satisfied.

He walked out and along the corridor towards the elevator. He selected the floor for the infirmary. He hoped that Janet wasn't watching Jack's room too closely; he figured he'd sneak in and sit with his friend for a while. He'd concentrated on deciphering the writing on the orb during Jack's ordeal and while he knew his efforts had helped resolve it, he still felt like he should have been with Jack. He could make up for that now, he determined as he made his way down the corridor; he could rest just as easily in Jack's room as he could in temporary quarters.

He opened the door and slid into the room, quickly and quietly shutting the door behind him. His blue eyes met Teal'c's dark ones with momentary surprise followed by rueful acknowledgement.

'I guess you had the same idea.' Daniel murmured, keeping his voice low to avoid waking Jack who was asleep in the bed.

Teal'c bowed his head. He had waited patiently for Sam and Janet to leave the vicinity of the infirmary room before he had re-entered unable to shake the role of watching over his friend even though he was out of danger. He watched steadily from his place in the corner as Daniel made his way to a chair on the opposite side of the bed and settled in.

'How is he?' The archaeologist asked.

'He is sleeping.' Teal'c's voice rumbled across the bed.

'No.' Jack said wryly, opening one eye to glare at the two men. 'He's not.'

Daniel flushed. 'Sorry, Jack.'

''s OK.' Jack murmured. 'I couldn't get to sleep anyway.' He grimaced. Every time he had been on the verge, he had been filled with an irrational fear that the virus was still within him, lurking; just waiting to take over him again. Daniel frowned and Jack realised that it was likely the other man had deduced some of what he was feeling. He jumped in before the younger man could say anything. 'Aren't you supposed to be resting?' He said brusquely.

Daniel crossed his arms tightly around his torso a little defensively. 'I thought I could do that here.' He muttered.

Jack sighed and looked over at Teal'c. The Jaffa raised an eyebrow challengingly. The military man turned his attention back to Daniel. 'So what ya been doing?'

'I went to talk with General Hammond about Sam.' Daniel admitted.

Jack's eyebrows lifted in unison with Teal'c's. 'And?' he asked, pointing a finger at the younger man. 'What's your plan?'

'My plan?' Daniel blinked innocently.

'Your plan.' Jack repeated, his brown gaze never moving from Daniel.

'I might have suggested that he ask the President to lift the restriction.' Daniel confessed, lowering his tired eyes.

Jack considered Daniel's suggestion. It would be a bold move for Hammond to go directly to the Commander in Chief but it could work especially on the back of Sam saving the world. 'Nice.'

'Really?' Daniel's eyes snapped back upwards to Jack's.

'Really.' Jack couldn't stop himself from reaching out and tousling Daniel's hair. 'You did good.'

'It might not work.' Daniel cautioned as he attempted to push his hair back into order.

'Yeah.' Jack sighed. 'I guess we shouldn't mention this to Sam just yet.'

'To do so would be to offer false hope.' Teal'c agreed.

The conversation moved onto inconsequential banter until the door handle started to turn and Jack raised a finger to his lips. They all held their breath expecting to see the diminutive doctor and all breathed a sigh of relief as Sam entered. She stopped in the doorway, startled to see them all.

Jack waved her inside hurriedly. He gestured at an empty chair. 'Pull up a seat, Captain.'

'I was just coming to see how you were, sir.' Sam said as she walked over to his side.

'Not sleeping.' Jack confirmed dryly.

'I can see that, sir.' Sam's lips twitched as she sat down and eased the chair closer to the bed. Her blue eyes met his empathetically and he had the sudden uneasy feeling that she knew exactly why he couldn't sleep. But if anyone would, he considered, it would be Sam. Having the virus take over him for the few short minutes it had; hearing it speak with his voice; move his body…it was probably only a taste of what she had gone through with Jolinar. He found himself reaching for her hand and was surprised but pleased when she curled her fingers around his palm. They both smiled at one another oblivious to the knowing look exchanged by their team-mates.

'How's the gate?' Jack asked softly.

'Good, sir.' Sam said.

'Excellent.' Jack murmured. His eyes took in the faint lines of fatigue and stress that lined her face before they skipped to Daniel. The archaeologist was managing to weave with tiredness while sat in the chair. 'I guess it's useless telling you guys to go rest.' He mused out loud.

Sam and Daniel smiled at each other across the bed before they nodded in response to Jack's question.

'Wild horses, eh, Teal'c?' Jack murmured.

Teal'c's expression lightened and there was the faintest hint of a smile in his dark eyes. 'Indeed, O'Neill.'

Daniel's eyes darted to the Jaffa and to Sam as he raised a tired smile. It really would take wild horses to drag them away from their team leader, he realised. He toed off his boots and stretched out his legs to rest his feet on the foot of the bed.

Jack let go of Sam's hand reluctantly and reached behind him. He handed Sam a pillow and she settled back in her own chair, resting against it. Jack nodded at Teal'c. 'Get the lights will ya?'

The room was plunged into darkness. Jack heard the rustle of clothes as they all relaxed and shifted positions; the change in breathing as they slipped into sleep. His team were with him and their presence gave him a sense of security that wrapped itself around him like a warm blanket. Tiredness stole over him swiftly and his eyes closed as he drifted into dreams of undomesticated equines.


	28. A Father's Choice

**Author's Note:** Teal'c/Team friendship with emphasis on Jack/Teal'c friendship.

**Family Recap:** _Bra'tac arrives at the SGC bringing the news that Apophis has kidnapped Teal'c's son Rya'c. Although the team are shocked that Apophis has survived his ship exploding, they determine that they should go to Chulak and rescue Teal'c's family. On arrival, they head to Drey'auc's house and are surprised to see her living in luxury. They are informed that Drey'auc has divorced Teal'c in absentia and married Fro'tak, an old friend of Teal'c's. Teal'c is furious but Bra'tac reminds him that Teal'c made his choice and he is as good as dead to Drey'auc; they focus on rescuing Rya'c. An initial attempt is foiled by Rya'c who refuses to come with them; he has been brainwashed. _

_Retreating, they see a transmission from Apophis with Rya'c supposedly giving a cryptic clue to his father to enable his rescue. Teal'c is convinced his son has overcome his brainwashing; Jack is not. An attempt by Fro'tac to betray them is thwarted by Jack and they manage to rescue Rya'c but everyone apart from Teal'c notes it was too easy. Back at the SGC, Drey'auc observes that Rya'c has acquired new teeth and it turns out to be hidden biological weapons. Rya'c is still brainwashed and Teal'c zats Rya'c to bring his son back to himself. With Rya'c's brainwashing ended, Teal'c takes Drey'auc and Rya'c to the __Land__ of __Light__ to be safe. _

**A Father's Choice **

Teal'c smoothed a hand over his son's forehead. Rya'c stirred in his sleep at the touch but didn't wake. It had been an exhausting day for the young boy; the wormhole journey to the Land of Light, getting acquainted with Tuplo and his people, settling into the comfortable quarters in the palace which would be home for Rya'c and his mother for the foreseeable future. Teal'c felt a twinge of guilt. His wife – ex-wife – and his son were separated from their own people and forced to live amongst strangers because of the choice _he_ had made.

It had been his decision to help the Tau'ri strangers that Apophis had taken prisoner; his decision to stand with them against his former False God and his decision to leave Chulak and his family in an attempt to win freedom for his people from their bondage to the Goa'uld. It had been a moment long in the making; years of faith in Apophis as a God wavering under Bra'tac's tutelage and his own observations; too many times where he had been forced to kill simply on Apophis's whim. The human prisoners with their strange clothing and technology; with their lack of knowledge of the Goa'uld; with their independent spirit and verve…it had given him hope that perhaps they had escaped the touch of the Goa'uld and could truly oppose them. It had given him the opportunity to finally fight for what he believed in and he could not in all honesty say that he regretted it; he knew in his heart and soul it had been the right thing to do but his choice had meant leaving his family behind and he regretted that.

He clasped his hands together and bowed his head. He had never meant to marry or to be a father. His first love, Sho'nac, had broken his heart when she had entered the temple and become a priestess and he had vowed never to let a woman close again. As his stature as a warrior grew there were no end of women happy to spend time with him if he wished for female company and as he realised the depths of Apophis's depravity he had been relieved that he had no wife or child for the False God to use against him. All that had changed when he had met Drey'auc.

Young, beautiful, feisty; she had been neither impressed with his status nor awed by it. She had roused his curiosity and his interest. Their courtship had been swift and Teal'c had found himself married and with a child in a short space of time. There had been a moment early on when he had debated whether he should pursue their relationship but he had believed that his fate was to be the First Prime of Apophis; that his dream of somehow escaping the rule of Apophis, of any Goa'uld was hopeless. Had he believed otherwise he knew he would never have asked Drey'auc to marry him or acquiesced to her request for a child…had he foreseen the future he would not have done either, yet looking at the sleeping face of his son, he could not regret that decision despite the ache in his heart at knowing how he had hurt him nor the competing sense of emptiness he felt at their absence in the life he had chosen.

'He looks so peaceful.' Drey'auc's soft voice drifted over from the doorway.

'He is asleep.' Teal'c confirmed without turning to look at her.

She entered the room and pulled her cloak tighter around her body. 'We should talk, Teal'c. We have much to discuss.'

Teal'c frowned. She was right but such a discussion needed to be conducted out of earshot of their son. He stood slowly and gently stroked his son's cheek once again before he turned around and indicated for Drey'auc to precede him out of the room.

They walked into the small courtyard that connected the four small rooms that now constituted Drey'auc's home. It was a clear night; the stars shone brightly in the sky and a warm breeze lifted Drey'auc's dark shoulder length hair as she took a seat by the central fountain. Teal'c sat beside her; close enough that they could talk quietly but without actually touching. There was silence with both Jaffa unwilling to begin.

Teal'c eventually moved. He clasped his hands in front of him, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. 'I have failed you.'

Drey'auc's dark eyes flickered toward him. 'You have saved us.'

'It was I who placed your lives in danger.' Teal'c noted softly. 'Apophis used you and Rya'c to punish me for my betrayal, to try and defeat the Tau'ri through me.'

'And he failed.' Drey'auc impulsively reached out and clasped his arm comfortingly. Teal'c looked at her hand surprised and she withdrew it. She drew her cloak around her and looked away towards the room that held their child. 'Tell me, Teal'c; do you think of us at all?'

Teal'c felt the beginnings of his anger stir. 'What kind of a question is that, woman?'

'Then why did you not return?' Drey'auc shot back, her own temper heating the words.

'I could not.' Teal'c growled. 'You should understand that it was too dangerous…'

'No, Teal'c.' Drey'auc interrupted him. 'Not to return while Apophis still lived, I understand, but when you believed him dead…why did you not return then with Master Bra'tac?'

'You think Apophis is the only Goa'uld?' Teal'c retorted. 'He is not.'

'So what do you intend? To kill them all?' Drey'auc responded angrily. 'It cannot be done.'

A muscle worked in Teal'c's jaw as he controlled his building anger. 'It will be done.' His dark eyes met hers. 'Our people will be free; I swear this.'

Drey'auc looked at the fierce determination in his set face and sighed. 'And what of us, Teal'c?'

'You will be safe here.' Teal'c answered, choosing to misunderstand her question.

She shook her head at him. 'That is not what I meant, husband, and you know it.'

'I am no longer your husband.' Teal'c pointed out.

Drey'auc flinched at the harsh truth of his words. 'I was wrong to dissolve our marriage, Teal'c.'

Teal'c felt himself weaken at her evident sadness and regret. 'You were right.' He met her disbelieving eyes at his admission. 'I was not there to provide for you and our child. I no longer blame you for your decision.' He blamed himself.

Drey' auc shifted a little uncertainly on the bench. 'I never stopped loving you, Teal'c.'

Her words warmed him; comforted him. His harsh features softened. 'Nor I you.'

'But not enough,' Drey'auc noted wryly, 'or you would not have chosen to leave us at all.'

'It is not that simple.' Teal'c muttered unhappily.

'It is.' She held up a hand to prevent him arguing. 'I am proud of you, Teal'c, I am, and you know I support your fight against the Goa'uld, but as your wife,' she shook her head as she corrected herself, 'as the woman who loves you, believe me when I say that it is that simple.' She met his eyes firmly. 'I would not have chosen to leave you.'

Teal'c couldn't hold her gaze and dropped his to the floor.

'I have always known that I was not your first love, Teal'c.' Drey'auc commented sadly. 'I know you only married me and had Rya'c because I wished it…'

'I do not regret our marriage or our son.' Teal'c said strongly, flushing with guilt at his earlier musings.

Drey'auc sighed. 'I know how much you love our son, Teal'c, but I know you. I know as a warrior you would have preferred to face Apophis unburdened; to have provided him with nothing, no weakness that he could use against you.' There was a silence for a long moment as both of them absorbed the words spoken and the truth of them.

'When will you leave?' Drey'auc asked eventually.

'Tomorrow.' Teal'c admitted gruffly.

'Rya'c will be disappointed.'

'He will understand.' Teal'c argued.

'No he will not.' Drey'auc contradicted him with a short humourless laugh. 'Have you learned nothing from this?'

'I will be able to return more often and more easily now you are here.' Teal'c said defensively. 'My son will know me again.'

'Do not make promises you do not mean to keep, Teal'c.' Drey'auc cautioned.

Anger flashed through Teal'c's dark eyes. 'You doubt my word, woman?'

'On the contrary, I know your dedication as a warrior to the fight.' She cupped his cheek with her hand. 'And just as I know that sacrificing your place with your son pains you, Teal'c, I know it is a sacrifice you will make.'

He had no response to her words.

She dropped her hand and stood. 'You have kept your word and brought my son home. You have provided us with a safe haven and protection from Apophis.' She smiled forlornly at him. 'I will raise our son, Teal'c, and I will be here for you should you…' her voice cut out, overcome with emotion. She took a deep breath. 'But you have your freedom, Teal'c.' She walked away swiftly before he could protest.

Teal'c stared after her for a long time but he didn't make to follow her; he had made his choice.

o-O-o

'Thanks for helping me this.' Samantha Carter smiled at the Colonel as he placed the final box of her belongings on the floor of her bedroom. She glanced around swiftly, still unable to believe that she was finally in her apartment after months of being restricted to the base after being taken as a host by a symbiote. Her gut churned uneasily. If she was honest it felt a little scary being back in the outside world.

'No problem, Carter.' Jack O'Neill turned around to look at her just in time to catch the faint hint of fear flit across her delicate features. He shoved his hands in his pockets. 'Weird, huh?'

Her gaze snapped to him and she swallowed the automatic denial at his understanding gaze. She grinned sheepishly. 'A little.'

'You'll be back in the swing of it in no time.' Jack assured her.

Sam nodded quickly and reached for the linen to start making her bed. She wasn't avoiding the topic, she told herself firmly; there was just a lot that had to be done. Her gaze on the sheet she was smoothing over the bed, she missed the way Jack smirked at her knowingly.

'Sam, I'm finished with the photos.' Daniel Jackson's voice preceded his entry into the bedroom and she straightened to greet him, rubbing a hand over her forehead.

'That's great. Thanks, Daniel.'

The archaeologist nodded and pushed his glasses back up his nose. 'Is there anything else you need or…'

'Well, I guess we're done.' Sam admitted reluctantly. She waved at a hand at the two men although her eyes skipped over both of them. 'If you want to get going, I should be fine from here.'

Jack and Daniel exchanged a look.

'I don't know about you but I'm starved.' Jack said easily.

'Me too.' Daniel added.

Sam looked at both of them suspiciously and wasn't fooled by their bland looks of innocence. 'It's OK. I'll be fine on my own.' Her tone was stiff with defensiveness.

'Of course you will, Carter,' Jack agreed breezily, 'but there's nothing wrong with us all sharing a meal together to welcome you home before we leave you to it, is there?'

Sam's blue eyes narrowed on Jack's. She cursed inwardly at his absolutely still poker face and sighed. 'Well, OK, but it's my treat.' She said. 'As a thank you for everything you guys have done.'

'Suits me.' Jack acquiesced to her condition quickly and Daniel nodded his agreement.

'Of course, I don't actually have any food.' Sam realised belatedly.

'No problem.' Jack shrugged. 'I'll go and pick up some take-out. You want Chinese?'

'Sounds good.' Daniel said his stomach rumbling at the thought.

'Sure.' Sam agreed.

'Usual orders?' Jack checked as he reached for his car keys already making his way towards the door. A moment later, they heard the front door of the apartment close.

Daniel waved at the bed. 'You want a hand?'

She threw him a pillow and a case in response and he happily set about his task.

'So are you looking forward to going to Washington?' Daniel asked absently. General Hammond had informed them of the trip to see the President when he had broken the good news about Sam's restriction being lifted; Jack and Sam were receiving medals for their role in saving the Earth from being invaded by Apophis.

'Yeah.' Sam answered, stuffing her own pillow into a case and shaking it vigorously. 'I'm hoping to get a chance to visit with my Dad once the medal ceremony is done.' She looked over at him. 'You should be getting a medal too.'

He shrugged. 'I'm not doing this to get a medal.'

She smiled at him gently. 'All the more reason why you should get one.' She pointed out. 'Besides, the Colonel and I would never have gone on that mission if it hadn't been for your belief that Apophis was going to invade.'

'I don't mind.' Daniel insisted. 'Anyway, I'm hoping General Hammond will agree to let me go back to Abydos instead.'

'It's a year, isn't it?' Sam mused. 'In Abydos time?'

'Yeah.' Daniel sighed and moved to assist Sam with the duvet. He looked a little downhearted and Sam frowned.

'What's the matter?'

Daniel looked up at her quizzically before her question registered fully. 'It's nothing, really. It's just…having to go back and tell Kasuf that I haven't been able to find Sha're or Skaara…' he sighed, 'I can't say I'm looking forward to it.'

She rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

They continued on in silence making the bed for a few minutes before Daniel spoke again.

'Sam, has Jack seemed a little quiet to you since Teal'c left?'

Sam smoothed her grandmother's quilt over the bed. 'He's not exactly a talkative kind of guy, Daniel.'

'I know but…' Daniel folded his arms across his chest as his blue eyes caught hers. 'I don't know. He seems…off.'

She bit her lip as her mind skipped over how the Colonel had acted since Teal'c's departure with his family to the Land of Light. Daniel was right; Jack had been quiet.

'You don't think he's worried Teal'c won't come back?' Daniel mused out loud.

'No.' Sam replied. 'I don't think that's it.' She said slowly.

'But you have a theory, don't you?' Daniel realised.

'Maybe.' She admitted sitting down on the bed.

Daniel gestured at her impatiently. 'Well?'

She sighed a little uncomfortable with the discussion. 'I was just thinking that it must have been difficult for him seeing Teal'c reunited with his family.' She paused. 'With his son.'

Daniel closed his eyes and whirled away from the bed, gesturing wildly. 'I'm an idiot!' He came to a halt and turned back to her. 'Seeing Teal'c with Rya'c must have reminded him about Charlie.'

Sam nodded at the mention of Jack's late son. 'I think so.' Her fingers worried at the quilt absently.

Daniel slumped onto the other side of the bed. 'I can't believe I missed it.'

'We missed it.' Sam corrected.

'He was just so great with Rya'c, I mean,' Daniel waved a hand in the air, 'after the brainwashing got sorted out, it never even occurred to me.'

Sam acknowledged his words with a smile. 'He must have been a great Dad.'

'Yeah.' Daniel sighed. He caught her gaze. 'I guess we can keep his mind off things tonight at least.'

They were both silent for a moment.

'Maybe we should get some beer.' Sam suggested.

Daniel smiled ruefully. 'Good idea.'

o-O-o

'Unscheduled off-world activation!'

The technician's voice resounded through the speakers as General Hammond hurried after the members of SG1 as they made their way from the briefing room to the control room.

'What's going on?' Hammond asked briskly.

'We're receiving an IDC, sir.' The technician said nervously.

'It's Teal'c.' Sam said, leaning over the young woman's shoulder to peer at the computer monitor.

'Teal'c?' Jack frowned. 'I thought he wasn't due back for a couple of days.'

Sam shrugged; she didn't have an answer for him.

Hammond nodded at the technician. 'Open the iris.' He noted with a wry smile that the rest of SG1 were already making their way down the stairs to the gate room.

Jack waited impatiently at the bottom of the ramp. He shoved his hands in the pockets of the blue BDU pants to stop himself from fidgeting. Sam stood beside him on one side and Daniel on the other; all watching the shimmering blue horizon with concern.

Teal'c stepped through and onto the ramp, striding down the metal with grim purpose.

'Teal'c.' Jack called out in greeting. 'We weren't expecting to see you.'

'Did I not say I would return, O'Neill?' Teal'c growled.

Jack raised his eyebrows at the angry tone. 'Well, sure, but…'

The Jaffa turned on his heel and strode out of the gate room, leaving his three human team-mates staring after him anxiously.

'Well, that was new.' Jack commented. 'Did he look a little mad to you? Because he seemed a little mad to me.'

'Maybe a little.' Sam said hesitantly.

'One of us should…uh…probably go talk to him.' Daniel suggested adjusting his glasses.

'Yeah.' Jack looked from Daniel to Sam and back. 'Why are you looking at me?' He demanded.

Sam and Daniel looked at each other and back to Jack.

'Well,' Sam began, 'you are our team leader, sir. Teal'c respects that. He'll probably respond better to you…uh…talking to him.'

'Team leader. That's right.' Daniel jumped on the excuse happily. 'And besides,' he added hurriedly as Jack turned to glare at him, 'you have that whole warrior thing going on between the two of you.'

'Teal'c considers you a warrior.' Jack retorted.

'He does?' Daniel blinked at the older man disconcerted. 'I mean, he does?'

'Sure he does.' Jack said blithely.

Daniel's eyes narrowed on him in suspicion. 'You're only saying that to get out of talking to Teal'c.'

'I'm sure you'll be fine, sir.' Sam said cheerfully in reassurance.

Jack sighed as he looked at the two of them smiling back at him. 'Right.' He turned and headed out the gate room.

He found Teal'c in the locker room. The Jaffa sat on a bench staring into his locker contemplatively. Jack sat down beside him. He cast a look at the locker and after failing to see what Teal'c could be looking at with such fierce determination came to the conclusion that whatever was going on with the Jaffa had nothing to do with the contents of his locker. Unfortunately. He had an idea that would be an easier discussion. He clasped his hands together loosely and pressed his lips together thoughtfully.

'I'm a man of few words, Teal'c.' Jack began and stopped.

Teal'c arched an eyebrow. 'Indeed.' His dark eyes met Jack's in shared humour for a second before the Jaffa turned away. 'I do not wish to discuss it.'

'OK.' Jack said, getting to his feet. 'I'm glad we had this little talk.' He stepped around the bench and patted Teal'c's shoulder on his way out of the locker room. His hand was almost on the handle when the Jaffa called his name. He turned back and looked at him questioningly.

'You are a father.' Teal'c forced the words out.

Jack felt his heart sink but he knew how much it had cost Teal'c to begin so he took a step back toward his friend. 'I was.' He acknowledged quietly.

'Rya'c did not understand my decision to return.' Teal'c commented.

'Of course, he didn't.' Jack said, surprised Teal'c believed Rya'c would have understood. 'He's a kid, Teal'c. All he wants to do is spend time with his dad.' There was an ache in his chest; it was a lesson he had learned too late to make things right with his own son.

'You would be with your son if he lived.' Teal'c surmised.

Jack tried hard not to flinch at the Jaffa's words. 'I honestly don't know, Teal'c.' He said eventually. 'The truth is…' he took a deep breath, 'the truth is that if my son,' his jaw clenched and he took another breath to continue, 'if Charlie were still alive, I probably wouldn't be here.' In practical terms, some other schmuck would have taken the mission to Abydos, Jack mused; some other Colonel would have led SG1. He pulled his mind back to his Jaffa friend.

'In my place…' Teal'c stopped abruptly unable to continue.

Jack sighed and rubbed a hand through his short brown and grey hair, ruffling the strands into disarray. He sat back down on the bench. Neither man looked at each other but both stared into the open locker.

'If I really was in your place,' Jack said carefully, 'I know I wouldn't want my son to live as a slave. I know I would want a better life for him and I know I would fight to my last breath to give him that. And I think that's why you've made the choice you've made. So I think in your place I would do the same.'

Teal'c shifted infinitesimally beside him. He considered Jack's words carefully, turning them over in his own mind before he finally turned to look at Jack. He could see the strain of their discussion in the deeply carved lines on the other man's face. 'Thank you, my friend.'

Jack nodded. He patted Teal'c's shoulder again and stood up. 'You want to go find Daniel and Carter? Grab something to eat?'

Teal'c inclined his head. 'I require a shower, O'Neill.'

'Well, I didn't like to say anything.' Jack joked, amusement sparking in his brown eyes again. He tried to sober at Teal'c's raised eyebrow but felt the laughter bubbling back up at the slight outrage in the Jaffa's dark eyes. 'Meet you in the commissary?' he asked breezily.

Teal'c nodded sharply and watched his friend depart. In many ways he did not mind O'Neill's amusement at his expense; perhaps it was just payment for forcing his friend to speak of such a painful subject. He knew despite the circumstances he was the lucky one; Rya'c lived. There would be time in the future to mend the hurts his absence had caused in their relationship. And one day, Teal'c mused as he began to strip, one day Rya'c might even understand the choice his father had made.


	29. Rough Times

**Author's Notes:** Jack/Team friendship. Hammond/Jacob friendship. Suggestion of Sam/Jack. Daniel/Sha're.

**Secrets Recap:** _As Jack and Sam head to __Washington__ to receive medals, Teal'c accompanies Daniel as he returns to __Abydos__ to face Kasuf, Sha're's father. On arrival, Kasuf takes him to his tent where they are both stunned to see Sha're, heavily pregnant and seemingly herself. She admits the Goa'uld Ammonet is still within her but has withdrawn until the child is born. Teal'c convinces a shocked and angry Daniel that the best option is to return to Earth with Sha're. However, as they try to leave, a ship descends on the pyramid and Sha're goes into labour. _

_Meanwhile, General Hammond surprises Sam by inviting her father to the medal ceremony. Jacob Carter tries to convince Sam into applying for NASA and doesn't understand her reluctance. Sam's father tells her he has cancer before she heads back to the SGC. Jack is approached by a reporter, Selig, claiming to know everything about the Stargate. He denies everything and after a discussion with __Hammond__ meets with the reporter again. Immediately afterwards Selig is run over by a car. Hammond reassures Jack, the reporter's death was an accident but the Colonel is not convinced. He and Sam head to __Abydos__ to pick up Daniel and Teal'c. _

_Daniel oversees the arrival of Sha're's child and as Ammonet once again gains control of his wife, a helmeted Jaffa arrives and zats her telling her that her child has been taken by Heru-ur, an enemy of Apophis. The __Jaffa__ is actually Teal'c. They leave the child with Kasuf and go to the Stargate to create a diversion to cover Sam and Jack's arrival. The reunited SG1 hides as Apophis arrives and Ammonet rejoins him. As she leaves she sees the hiding team but does not give away their position. The team head back to Earth. _

**Rough Times **

'I screwed up, George.' Jacob Carter sighed heavily as he accepted the mug of coffee George Hammond placed in front of him. The morning sunlight spilled into the kitchen of Hammond's home warming the corners of the room and casting a golden glow over the pine table where Jacob was seated.

Hammond frowned, his pale red eyebrows lifting slightly. 'You didn't tell Sam about the cancer?' He asked surprised as he took a seat next to his old friend. It had been a surprise to find Jacob on his doorstep at first light but not an unwelcome one.

'Oh I told her about that.' Jacob muttered as he took a slurp of the dark bitter brew. He winced. 'I guess it could have gone better.'

'She hasn't said anything to me.' Hammond noted. But then, he mused, he wouldn't have expected anything less from the young Captain. Samantha Carter was her father's daughter in many respects. 'I take it you didn't tell her I knew?'

'It was a short conversation.' Jacob admitted avoiding the other man's gaze.

Hammond felt his heart sink. 'Exactly what _did_ you say to her, Jake?'

'Just that I had cancer and not to worry.' Jacob muttered, hiding his face in his mug. 'That I wasn't dropping dead tomorrow.'

Hammond shook his head in sad realisation. Knowing Jacob as well as he did, he could imagine the scene between the man and his daughter in horrendous detail. 'Jake…'

'I know, I know.' Jacob lowered the mug to the table and played with the handle. 'I'm not good with this stuff, George. I never was.'

'What about Mark?' Hammond asked.

'What about him?' Jacob replied.

'He is your son, Jake.' Hammond said gently. 'Both he and Sam should be with you through this. I know when Ellie was sick, I couldn't tear Susie away from her.'

'With respect, George, I'm not your wife and my kids aren't your daughter.' Jacob said, keeping his tone polite although his dark eyes flashed with anger.

'I know that,' Hammond said sharply, 'but if you keep Sam and Mark at a distance on this…they'll regret not spending this time with you; I know it.'

Jacob squirmed under his friend's relentless regard. 'I'm thinking about taking an apartment in town.'

'Here? In Colorado Springs.' Hammond checked.

Jacob nodded. 'I'm officially medically retired as of zero-eight-hundred this morning.' He waved his mug at Hammond. 'I talked to my doctor. The Air Force academy hospital is one of the best in the country. I can continue receiving my treatments here and…'

'Be close to Sam.' Hammond finished. His pale blue eyes gleamed with approval. 'That's a good idea, Jacob.'

Jacob nodded. 'Well, since she insists this is where she wants to be.'

Hammond lowered his own mug at Jacob's bitter tone. 'Excuse me?'

His friend leaned forward excitedly. 'I got her a shot at NASA, George.'

'You what?' Hammond stuttered. He was stunned.

'Talked to the main guy myself, told him about my little girl and her qualifications and,' Jacob waved a hand at him, 'he was thrilled.' He rubbed a hand over his balding pate. 'I'm telling you, George, all she has to do is submit her application as an Air Force nominee and she's guaranteed a place.'

Hammond absorbed Jacob's words slowly. 'I don't believe it.'

'But I screwed up.' Jacob sighed.

'This is what you think you screwed up on?' Hammond's incredulous voice rose with every word.

'I surprised her with it.' Jacob said defensively. 'She thought I was interfering…'

'You are.'

'…and turned me down flat.' Jacob talked over his friend determinedly. 'But you could help me fix this.'

'I don't see how.' Hammond muttered.

'You're her CO,' he held up his hand before Hammond could correct him, 'once removed,' he allowed, 'but you could make this happen for her. She'll listen to you.'

'What exactly did she say when you told her?' Hammond asked, forestalling his own answer to Jacob's request.

Jacob slumped back into the wooden chair. 'She said I should have talked about it with her first.'

'You should have.' Hammond said, taking a fortifying gulp of his own coffee and wishing it were something stronger.

'All she's ever wanted to be is an astronaut, George. The Challenger incident was bad timing all round.' Jacob pressed onwards sensing Hammond's reluctance. 'This is a chance to see her dream come true while I'm still around to see it.'

'Are you sure this isn't about you?' Hammond retorted.

'Is it so bad to want to see my kid happy before I go?' Jacob shot back.

'No,' Hammond allowed sadly, 'no, it isn't.'

'So will you do it?' Jacob asked. 'Will you talk to her?'

'Jake…' Hammond sighed and laid his hand flat on the table wondering how he answered the other man. 'I'm sorry but I can't do it.'

'You can't?' Jacob moved restlessly in the chair. 'Why the hell not?'

'The work she's doing is important…' Hammond began.

'Analysing deep space radar telemetry.' Jacob scoffed. 'Right.'

'And you know that's a cover.' Hammond pointed out stabbing the table. 'The work we do is classified but believe me when I tell you that Sam is an important member of my command.'

'So what is it she's doing that's so important?' Jacob asked furiously. 'Don't I deserve to know that?'

'You know better than to ask.' Hammond rejoined angrily. 'I'm sorry, Jacob, but did it ever occur to you that Sam is needed where she is? That she's happy where she is?'

'You won't talk to her?' Jacob checked again, ignoring the stirring of guilt in his stomach that Hammond's questions prompted. It was the treatments, he told himself firmly; they often made him nauseous.

The anger at Jacob's presumptive behaviour drained away suddenly leaving Hammond feeling tired. 'No, I won't.'

Jacob gave a humourless laugh. 'And I thought you were my friend, George.'

'Don't pull that crap on me, Jacob.' Hammond held Jacob's gaze until the other man had the grace to drop his.

'I'm sorry, George.' Jacob rubbed his hands over his face. 'It's just…I want her to be happy and every time I've talked to her on the phone lately she just doesn't seem to be.'

'She's been through a lot recently.' Hammond admitted quietly. 'But she's come through it.'

'You mean with this parasitical virus thing that kept her quarantined for so long?' Jacob asked.

Hammond nodded without saying anything further. He'd given Jacob the excuse as a cover for Sam's long restriction to base that had happened after she had been temporarily taken as a host by a symbiote. The restriction had ended shortly before the trip to Washington and Sam was making great strides in coming to terms with her experience. He moved the subject away from the topic in case Jacob decided to probe deeper into the details. 'If it's any consolation, Jacob, even if I agreed to it; even if Sam agreed to it…' he sighed, 'it's unlikely the Air Force would approve Sam's nomination to NASA.'

'I see.' Jacob tapped his mug thoughtfully. 'She's that important?'

'She's that important.' Hammond agreed.

'And you're really not going to tell me what it is that you guys are doing?' Jacob asked again, a spark of amusement in his dark eyes softening the question.

'I'm really not.' Hammond confirmed with a smile.

'Hmmm.' Jacob leaned back in the chair and regarded his old friend fondly. 'So I'm guessing it's also pretty dangerous given Sam's CO is a former Special Ops guy.'

Hammond's eyes narrowed warily. 'You looked him up.'

Jacob smiled smugly at Hammond. 'You didn't expect otherwise did you George? My daughter's life is in his hands.'

'Colonel O'Neill is a fine officer, Jacob.' Hammond's tone warned Jacob that he wouldn't countenance any other view.

'I'm sure he is.' Jacob allowed. 'His record is outstanding.' He paused. 'He's also undertaken some rather dubious tasks on behalf of our government.'

'So have you.' Hammond pointed out. 'So have I.'

Jacob tilted his head. 'I don't recall luring reporters to their death as SOP.'

Hammond stiffened and his eyes flew to Jacob. 'If you're referring to the incident Colonel O'Neill witnessed in Washington that was an accident.'

'You really believe that?'

'I gave the Colonel the order to meet with the reporter and I can assure you neither I nor the Pentagon issued any order to eliminate the man.' Hammond said heatedly.

Jacob tapped the side of his mug. 'The order didn't come from the Pentagon.'

Hammond went totally still and he examined Jacob's sober expression with pursed lips. 'Where?'

'My source indicates NID.' Jacob lifted a hand from his mug. 'He was understandably a little reluctant to speculate or dig any further.'

Hammond sighed heavily and shook his head. He rubbed his temple furiously. 'I assured O'Neill that it was an accident.'

'You've read his file, George.' Jacob admonished him. 'He might have been unaware that he was being set up to lure the sap into the open but he probably knew it was an assassination the minute it happened. He's been part of those ops before.'

Hammond thumped the table. 'Dammit.' He gestured at Jacob. 'You should stay out of this.'

'What are they going to do to me?' Jacob laughed. 'I'm dying already.'

'Jake…'

'Don't worry.' Jacob held up a hand in supplication. 'I only began digging around a little because I was curious why I didn't get to see Sam awarded her medal. I'll leave it alone.'

'Thank you.' Hammond breathed a sigh of relief. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I have some calls I need to make.'

Jacob nodded and got to his feet. They walked out to the front door where they shook hands solemnly.

'Let me know if there's anything you need, Jacob.' Hammond said gently.

Jacob's dark eyes met his solemnly. 'Just look after my kid, George.'

o-O-o

'Dad, this is Sam.' Sam swallowed hard against a rush of frustrated emotion. 'If you get this message,' or any of the other dozen I've left, she mentally added, 'please call me.' She dropped the phone back into the cradle none too gently and thumped the workbench in frustration. Why did her father have to be such a stubborn son-of-a…

'Everything OK, Carter?'

She started at the Colonel's voice and whirled around to find him and the rest of their team just inside of her lab. They were all looking back at her with varying degrees of worry. The anxiety in Jack's brown eyes was mirrored Daniel Jackson's and even Teal'c stared back at her with concern. 'Yes, sir.'

Daniel looked at Sam speculatively and pushed his glasses up his nose. 'What's wrong?'

'She just said everything was OK, Daniel.' Jack said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his blue BDU pants.

'And yet clearly it's not.' Daniel argued as Sam ducked her head.

Jack glared at him. 'Don't you think she would tell us if she wanted to?'

'Well, maybe if you weren't so quick to accept…'

Sam raised her hands a little in supplication. 'Daniel, really. I'm OK.'

He looked at her in disbelief but before he could speak, Teal'c straightened to his full height.

'I believe Daniel Jackson is correct.' Teal'c stated. 'Something is clearly wrong.'

Sam looked to Jack for help. He shrugged sympathetically and his brown eyes smiled at her but he didn't continue his argument and she knew he was leaving it to her to either end the discussion or tell them what was wrong. She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. 'When we were in Washington, my Dad told me he has cancer.' She caught Teal'c's flicker of confusion. 'He's sick.' She clarified. 'Very sick.'

'God, Sam.' Daniel said shocked. He was across the room in a heartbeat and wrapped her in a tight hug. 'I'm so sorry.'

She struggled to get her arms free to pat his back and felt tears press against the back of her throat at his comfort.

'I too am sorry, Captain Carter.' Teal'c said, his low voice rumbling across the lab.

Jack took a step towards the blonde Air Force officer. He reached out a hand hesitantly and rubbed Sam's shoulder.

She eased away from Daniel and swiped at the tear that leaked from the corner of her eye. 'I'm OK, sir.'

'You need a couple of days?' Jack asked softly.

She shook her head. How could she explain her father wouldn't want her to take the time or appreciate that she had? She gestured weakly. 'I'd rather just carry on as usual, sir.'

'If you change your mind.' He offered.

Sam nodded gratefully. 'Thank you, sir.' She glanced over at Daniel. 'Anyway, never mind about me, how are you doing?'

Daniel leaned back against the lab bench and folded his arms around his torso. 'Oh, you know.' His stomach churned as his mind skittered over the events of the past days; finding Sha're; her child – the child of Apophis; losing his wife to the Goa'uld Ammonet within her again…it all seemed a blur, unreal. Yet there was a part of him that knew it was real only too well.

'Daniel?'

Sam's gentle tone pulled him out of his musings and he shook himself. 'Sorry.'

She rubbed his arm. 'It sounds like you had a rough couple of days.'

'No more than you, or Teal'c, or Jack. I mean, you with your Dad,' he smiled apologetically at her wince and waved at the Jaffa, 'Teal'c seeing Apophis again,' his hand move to the Colonel, 'and Jack with the accident with the reporter.'

'Yes.' Jack muttered, jumping up on the bench opposite Daniel. 'The accident.'

Teal'c frowned as he walked forward to stand beside him. 'Do you not believe it was an accident, O'Neill?'

It took Jack a split second to make his decision on how to answer Teal'c's question. It wasn't a question of trusting his team; he just needed to weigh up how to protect them best. In the end it came down to his belief that being forewarned was almost as good as being forearmed. 'No, I don't.' He answered evenly, his brown eyes dark and troubled.

Sam started. 'Really?' She blurted out.

'Really.' He confirmed, holding her surprised blue eyes. Sam had come along way from the wide-eyed young officer who had sassed him and his men at their first briefing but even with her experiences since then she still had a refreshing naivety at times; she wasn't the only one.

'Why?' Daniel asked bluntly, his brow creasing in confusion.

Jack's gaze moved to the younger man. 'Let's just say this wasn't my first barbeque.'

'Are you certain, O'Neill?' Teal'c asked.

'Oh I'm certain.' Jack replied. 'It was a classic tactic; draw them out in the open, arrange for a little accident.' He mimed quotation marks for the last word. 'The car went directly for him.' He shook his head disgusted.

'But there was no guarantee that the accident would have killed him.' Sam argued passionately. 'Or that they would have had a clear run at him.'

'I'm not saying that they didn't take a risk, Captain.' Jack agreed. 'But my meeting with Selig gave them an opportunity and they took it.'

'I don't know.' Sam said unconvinced.

'Don't you think it was just a tad too convenient, Carter?' Jack replied waving his hand at her. 'This guy shows up with knowledge of the Stargate and just happens to get run down after I meet with him to confirm what he knows.'

'Jack's right.' Daniel said slowly.

Everyone turned to look at the archaeologist in surprise.

Daniel shifted his weight and gestured at the Colonel. 'I mean I just think that it's too convenient to be an accident.'

'As do I.' Teal'c agreed weighing in to support Daniel and Jack.

Sam looked around at their serious faces and tried to assimilate their viewpoint. 'OK, even if you guys are right,' she began, 'and I'm not saying I agree with you,' she looked from one to the other, 'I can't believe General Hammond would knowingly be involved with some conspiracy to…to take out this Selig guy.'

Teal'c arched his eyebrow and clasped his hands behind his back. 'Nor can I.' He admitted.

'Maybe he wasn't.' Daniel suggested. He waved a hand at Jack. 'You were unaware of a plan to eliminate Selig; maybe General Hammond was too.'

'Believe me when I say I want to believe that.' Jack said fervently. He sighed and shook his head again. 'I should have seen it coming.'

'This wasn't your fault, Jack.' Daniel reassured him.

'Daniel's right, sir.' Sam added. 'If this was an assassination attempt, you had no way of knowing…'

'Wrong, Carter.' Jack interrupted her brusquely. 'I've been involved in enough of these ops. I should have realised what was going on the minute I sat down and waited for Selig to show up.'

'It wasn't your fault, Colonel.'

They all started at the Texan drawl from the doorway. Jack jumped down from the bench at the sight of the General and Sam straightened.

'Sir, we were just…'

'I heard, Captain.' Hammond said sharply. He took a breath. 'May I join you?' His pale blue eyes met Jack's.

The Colonel nodded. 'Of course, sir.'

Hammond took a couple of steps into the room before he turned and closed the door. They all exchanged an anxious look before they turned back to the General as he approached them.

'I owe you an apology, Colonel O'Neill.' Hammond said formally.

Jack rocked back on his heels. He felt the rest of his team stir in shock. 'Sir?'

'I was assured by the Pentagon that no order was given to eliminate Armin Selig following my report to them on our planned course of action,' Hammond explained, 'and that was correct. However,' he took a deep breath, 'I received some new information this morning and I've spent most of the day verifying its veracity.' He wet his lips. 'There was an order but it didn't originate in the Pentagon. Our best guess is NID.'

Jack whirled away in disgust, storming to the far side of the lab. 'That's just great.' He muttered.

'Believe me, Colonel, I'm not too happy about this myself.' Hammond said forcefully. In his eyes, he'd been used just as much as Jack to set up Selig's death and he was just as furious at being taken for a patsy as the other man. 'Unfortunately, there is no concrete proof and the Pentagon is reluctant to pursue an investigation.'

'They're happy Selig isn't around to cause any problems.' Daniel surmised.

'That's about the size of it, son.' Hammond agreed.

'So they just get away with it?' Sam asked furiously.

'For now.' Hammond said quietly. He looked around at his flagship team; at their unhappy, disturbed and angry faces. 'I don't see that we have much choice.' He sighed. 'And given what has happened, I think it would be best if we kept a low profile on this.'

'Sir…' Jack began.

'That's an order, Colonel.' Hammond shot back immediately. 'I don't want you or any of the rest of SG1 poking around in this and putting yourselves in the firing line.'

'They used me, sir.' Jack bit out.

'They used me too.' Hammond pointed out. 'But we have to let this one go, Jack. At least, for now.' He caught Jack's eyes meaningfully. There was a time to fight and this wasn't it.

Jack nodded in agreement. 'For now.'

Hammond took the other man at his word. 'This conversation remains in this room.'

There was a chorus of agreements from the various members of SG1 before Hammond made his excuses and left.

Sam looked over at Jack. The Colonel stood unnaturally still; his eyes hard and cold as they glowered with the force of his internal anger. 'You were right, sir.' She said in an attempt to comfort him.

His sharp gaze had her regretting the words as soon as they had left her mouth. 'Good for me, Carter.' He said bitterly before he stalked out of the lab.

'I only meant…' Sam began wretchedly.

Daniel patted her arm comfortingly. 'He knows, Sam.' He gestured after Jack. 'I'll go after him.' He wandered out after his friend.

'Do not worry, Captain Carter.' Teal'c added.

Sam nodded jerkily. 'Right.' She muttered and wondered how exactly she did that.

o-O-o

Jack pounded the heavy punch bag again and again. He gave a growl of anger and slammed his fist into it several times sending it swinging wildly. He spun away and paced back to the bench where he had left a few belongings.

'I think you killed it.' Daniel remarked from the other side of the gym.

Jack's eyes snapped to him. 'How long have you been there?'

'A few minutes.' Daniel admitted, shoving his hands in his pockets.

'What do you want?' Jack said harshly, undoing the Velcro strap of the punching gloves.

Daniel ignored Jack's anger and walked over to stand beside him. 'You were pretty steamed when you left the lab. I just wanted to check you were OK.'

Jack threw the gloves down and reached down for a bottle of water. 'Well, you've checked and I'm fine.' He unscrewed the cap and took a long gulp before he set it aside and picked up a towel, rubbing it furiously through his damp hair and face.

'Yet clearly you're not.' Daniel murmured.

'Drop it, Daniel.' Jack bit out. 'I'm not in the mood.'

'No, that's obvious or you wouldn't have snapped Sam's head off after she just told you her Dad has cancer.'

Jack visibly flinched and he dropped his gaze embarrassed. He'd been so angry at himself and he'd taken it out on Sam. Not only Sam, his conscience pointed out; he'd just snapped at Daniel, a man who had to all intents and purposes just lost his wife again. He slumped onto the bench disgusted. 'Dammit.'

Daniel sat down beside him gingerly. He placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. 'This wasn't your fault, Jack.'

'I had his blood on my hands, Daniel.' Jack sighed heavily. 'Literally.' He swiped a hand over his face. 'I should have realised what was going to go down.'

'How?' Daniel asked forcefully. 'OK, so you might have done this before,' he swallowed hard; knowing Jack had a shady past and being confronted by it were two different things, 'but you believed that all that was happening this time was you checking how much Selig knew and unless you suddenly gained some superpowers you haven't told us about…'

Jack gave a grunt. 'Nope. No superpowers.'

'So stop beating yourself up about this.' Daniel ordered.

Jack ducked his head. 'Yeah. I guess you're right.' He took another gulp of water before he looked over at the younger man who was staring compassionately back at him. 'Is Sam OK?'

Daniel tilted his head. 'She will be.'

'What about you?' Jack asked bluntly.

'Me?' Daniel blinked. 'Well, I…'

'What you went through on Abydos.' Jack's lips twisted wryly.

'Oh.' Daniel gave a short laugh and swept a hand through his brown hair. 'That.' His voice cracked a little and he took a quick breath determined to hold it together.

'You know you don't have to pretend it's OK.' Jack said softly.

Daniel glanced at him and was surprised to see the Colonel looking back at him with nothing but warm empathy. It shattered the rest of his control and he felt the tears spring into his eyes. He looked away. A moment later he felt Jack's hand come to rest on the back of his neck; a silent comfort while tears ran down Daniel's face. It seemed like hours later that Daniel straightened abruptly, swiping at his wet face and dimly aware that Jack's hand had fallen away. The military man offered him a tissue.

'Thanks.' He mumbled as he raised his glasses to wipe under the circles of glass. 'I don't know why I'm so upset. It's not like anything has really changed.'

'Maybe we should have taken her when Apophis arrived.' Jack considered regretfully. 'He only had a small guard with him; we could have taken them.'

'No.' Daniel shook his head. 'Teal'c and I discussed it. If we'd failed…we couldn't let Apophis know we'd been involved with hiding the child.'

Jack nodded at the truth of his words.

'I'm just so angry. It should have been us, me and Sha're, having a baby, making a family.' Daniel murmured out loud.

'You will.' Jack assured him. 'When we get her back.' He patted Daniel's shoulder. 'Although let's hope when you do the kids inherit their mother's looks.'

'Funny.' Daniel retorted but he felt his lips twitch.

Jack stood up decisively. 'You want to grab a pizza once I'm done showering?'

'Sure.' Daniel agreed.

The gym door swung open and Teal'c strode over to join them. 'Teal'c.' The Colonel waved at the Jaffa. 'We're going out for a pizza. Do you want to join us?'

'I will not.' Teal'c said as he stood in front of them, hands clasped behind his back pulling the black t-shirt taut over his sizeable chest. 'I have come to inform you that I have requested permission to join SG12 on their mission this evening.'

'They're taking that group of refugees from P1A998 to the Land of Light.' Daniel remembered.

'You are correct, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c inclined his head.

'You going to catch up with Rya'c?' Jack asked. He pushed the pang of envy away and tried to be happy for his Jaffa friend.

'I am.' Teal'c confirmed. His dark eyes settled on the Colonel pleased to see that he was no longer filled with anger. 'Captain Carter left the base at the end of her duty shift.'

Jack winced again. It was rare for Sam to leave the base on time but she must have been too upset to work.

'Maybe we can stop at her place on our way to the restaurant.' Daniel suggested. 'See if she wants to come along.'

'Good idea.' Jack said gratefully. It would give him the opportunity to apologise. He sighed. 'I'd better hit the showers.'

A faint hint of a smile crossed Teal'c's features. 'Indeed.'

o-O-o

'Dad, it's Sam.' Sam bit her lip. 'Look, I'm getting really worried. Will you please call me as soon as you get this message?' She debated whether she should say anything else and sighed as she put the phone down. She looked at the plastic receiver and wondered whether it was possible to hate an inanimate object. She threw herself on the sofa with a groan.

There was a loud knock on the apartment door. She raised her head perplexed. She staggered off the cushions and wiped her hands on the seat of her jeans as she strode over to open it.

'Sir.' She said shocked, taking in her CO dressed casually in civvies.

'Carter.' Jack smiled self-consciously at her.

'Hi, Sam.' Daniel pushed past the Colonel bumping him into Sam as he charged into the apartment. 'Sorry!' He called out over his shoulder.

'Bathroom.' Jack explained as Sam looked after the archaeologist bemused. 'Can I…uh…come in, Carter?'

'Of course.' Sam said. She opened the door wider and Jack walked past her into the living room. He hovered uncomfortably in front of the fireplace. She tucked her hair back behind her ears self-consciously. There was an awkward silence.

'Sir…'

'Sam.'

They both spoke at the same time and stopped immediately.

'About before…'

'I just wanted to…'

They both smiled at the other in amused embarrassment.

'Look, Sam, I was out of order…'

'No, sir,' Sam interrupted him, 'I was…'

'Ah!' Jack held up a finger. 'Look, both of us haven't had the best couple of days.' He held her gaze apologetically. 'Why don't we just…move on?'

'I'd like that, sir.' Sam said, her blue eyes shining with relief.

He nodded pleased and the knot in his stomach disappeared. 'I've told you before,' he said teasingly, 'call me Jack.'

'Jack.' She repeated happily.

Daniel moved into the living room shyly. 'Is it safe?'

Jack rolled his eyes at the younger man before he turned back to Sam with a smile. 'Daniel and I thought we'd grab a pizza. You want to join us?'

'I'd love to.' Sam beamed at him and indicated the bedroom behind her. 'I'll just get my jacket.'

Daniel moved to check out the books on the coffee table and Jack picked up an ornament turning it over in his hands. There was another knock at the apartment door as she disappeared from view.

'I'll get it.' Jack called to Sam as he put the china figurine down. He practically skipped over to the door and threw it wide open. His cocky smile fell at the sight of Sam's Dad staring back at him in shocked recognition.

'General Carter.' Jack managed to get the words out eventually.

'Colonel O'Neill.' Jacob glared at his daughter's CO with barely suppressed anger at finding him so at home in Sam's apartment. 'What are you doing here?'

'Well, we…uh…and by we I don't mean me and Sam, that is I do but…'

'Jack, who is it?' Sam called out as she attached her earrings.

Jacob's glower deepened.

'It's your Dad.' Jack answered with false cheer. He stepped back, silently inviting Jacob to enter. The gesture caused Jacob to shake his head as he stepped over the threshold. He stopped warily at the sight of Daniel who turned to greet him with a hesitant wave.

'My Dad?' Sam muttered, her eyes widening in alarm. She hurried out of the bedroom and stopped shocked at the sight of her father standing in her apartment. 'Dad.'

'Sam.' Jacob acknowledged her formally.

They all stood in frozen silence for a moment.

Jack threw Daniel the same look he usually threw him when they met the indigenous people of new planet. The archaeologist immediately moved forward and held out his hand. 'I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson. I work with Sam and Jack. You must be General Carter.'

Jacob shook his hand. 'I must.' He said. His eyes gleamed with curiosity about the lanky young man in front of him. 'Doctor?'

'Of archaeology.' Daniel said smiling.

'And you work with Sam in analysing deep space radar telemetry?' Jacob frowned.

Daniel's smile fell away and he shoved his glasses up his nose as he searched for a viable explanation. 'Well, we…uh…'

Jack's hand landed heavily on Daniel's shoulder. 'We were just leaving.' He pushed Daniel towards the door, throwing Sam an apologetic look for bailing on her. 'Nice to see you again, General.'

'Colonel.' Jacob's gaze shifted to Daniel. 'Doctor.' He waited until they had left before he returned his attention to his daughter. 'Friendly.'

'Daniel's a civilian member of our team.' Sam admitted reluctantly.

'Maybe I was referring to Jack.' Jacob said sarcastically, standing in an at ease pose with all the military discipline his years in the service had instilled as he emphasised the Colonel's given name.

She flushed. 'He gave me permission, Dad.'

'Oh I'm sure he did.'

Her eyes sparked with anger. 'I don't believe you.' She wrapped her arms around herself defensively. 'Do you think so little of me that you actually believe I would have an affair with my CO?'

Jacob examined her set expression and it slowly sank into him that he'd crossed over a line. 'Of course not.' He shifted a little under her angry regard. 'I'm sorry. It took me a little by surprise finding him here. That's all.'

Sam pressed her lips together as though to prevent herself from making another angry retort. She nodded sharply in acknowledgement of his apology. 'I've been calling you all day.' She said eventually.

'I've been here in town.' Jacob confessed. 'I did some thinking after you left Washington.' He took a step toward her and stopped unsure whether to move closer to her. 'I realise that I took you by surprise with my news.'

'How long have you known?' Sam asked softening.

'A while.'

'Why didn't you tell me?' She asked exasperated.

'I didn't want to worry you if it was nothing.' Jacob said.

'But it's not nothing is it?' Sam checked.

'No it's not.' Jacob said taking a final step and taking hold of her hand. He clasped it between his own. 'But I don't want you worrying about me. I'm doing fine. I'm taking the treatments and the doctors all think I'm doing great considering.'

She held back her tears with difficulty and couldn't look at him.

He let out a sharp breath. 'I've taken an apartment across town.' Her eyes flew to his and he smiled at her astonishment. 'You don't have to worry; I won't get in your way, it's just they tell me the academy hospital is one of the best in the country.'

She gave a bittersweet smile. 'You could admit you just want to be closer to me, Dad.' She sighed. 'Have you told Mark?' She asked tentatively.

He shook his head.

'Do you want me to tell him?' She pressed.

Jacob hesitated. 'That's up to you.' He said finally.

She nodded and tried hard not to feel resentful at the way he had laid the responsibility at her door.

'George Hammond knows.' Jacob said quietly. 'I…uh…talked with him about the NASA idea.'

Sam's head jerked back up. 'Oh?'

'He tells me you're too important where you are.' Jacob said proudly. 'I guess I should have talked to him first, huh?'

'You should have talked to me first.' Sam corrected.

Jacob sighed. 'I only want you to be happy.'

'I am.' Sam replied insistently.

Jacob looked deeply into her blue eyes and whatever he saw there reassured him because he nodded at her. 'OK, kid.' He looked across at the clock. 'I'd better get going. I have a flight.'

'I'll come with you to the airport.' Sam offered.

He shook his head. 'It's a military hop.' He swept her into a bear hug before she could protest. 'You look after yourself, kiddo.' A moment later, he was gone.

She stood and stared at the closed door for a long moment holding herself tightly around her midriff as the tears ran down her cheeks unchecked. She shook herself and swiped at her face almost angrily. She didn't want to be alone. She snatched up the phone and dialled Daniel's cell.

'Hey, are you guys at the usual place?' She brushed another tear from her cheek as she listened to his answer. 'Can you order me a large pizza with the works and a diet soda?' She gave a sad smile. 'No, he's gone. Yeah. I'll see you soon.'

She threw the phone down, grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. Fifteen minutes later she walked into the small Italian restaurant, shrugged off the denim jacket she wore and slid into the booth beside the Colonel.

'Are you OK?' Daniel asked concerned as he took in the faint traces of tears on her cheeks.

She smiled brightly. 'I'm fine.' She picked up her drink and took a healthy gulp; she absently wished she'd asked for a beer instead.

'You get things sorted with your Dad?' Jack inquired gently. Her eyes dimmed and he wished he hadn't asked her the question at all.

'He's moving to town.' She said. 'That was why he called round; to tell me.'

'Well, that's good, right?' Daniel gestured at her with a breadstick. 'It means he'll be closer.'

'Yeah.' Sam frowned suddenly and happily latched onto her observation as an opportunity to change the subject. 'Where's Teal'c?'

'He's accompanying SG12 to the Land of Light.' Jack said taking a sip of his beer. 'He wanted to see Rya'c.'

'It must have been difficult for him seeing Apophis again after what he did to his son.' Daniel mused. 'I really don't know what I would have done without Teal'c on Abydos though.'

Sam smiled at sympathetically. 'At least you know Sha're's still there, Daniel, and that she still loves you.'

'True.' Daniel murmured. 'I just wish…' He sighed. 'I was so close to bringing her home.'

A silence fell across the table.

'Well, this is depressing.' Jack commented dryly.

Daniel and Sam smiled awkwardly back at him but didn't disagree.

'It's been a rough couple of days.' Daniel commented his finger tracing a line down his glass.

Jack looked at his two team-mates. He grabbed his beer and made what he considered the ultimate sacrifice. 'So have you two figured out what that rock Ferretti's team brought back is yet?' He watched as two sets of blue eyes lit up and he settled back in the booth as Daniel and Sam began swapping theories enthusiastically.

He let his mind wander to Selig and felt a flicker of renewed anger. Someone had messed up; big time. The Stargate programme was Jack's chance to make up for some of the more distasteful things he had done in his career and that someone had pulled him back into that past even fleetingly and unwittingly made his blood boil. But that was where the mysterious someone had made their worst mistake, Jack considered grimly. They'd given themselves away and he would be ready for them the next time but until then, he had more important things to focus on. His eyes slid back to Sam's animated expression as she described some convoluted theory of quantum physics and to Daniel who was listening with rapt attention, his blue eyes gleaming with intelligence. His team, Jack thought firmly; making sure they were OK and got through the rough times - that was infinitely more important.


	30. Another Threat

**Author's Note:** Emphasis on Sam/Jack and Sam/Hammond friendships. Written more as a fore-story to The Tok'ra than as a TAG to Bane.

**Bane Recap:** _Teal'c is stung by a large flying insect off-world. He is brought back to the SGC and Janet determines his DNA is slowly being overwritten by the insect's despite the efforts of the Goa'uld larva he carries. Sam suggests bringing in Doctor Timothy Harlow, a renowned geneticist. Unfortunately, he is also working with the NID who turn up with Colonel Maybourne to take Teal'c away. The team cannot prevent it. __Harlow__ realises his mistake on the journey out of the base when Maybourne alludes to his wish for Teal'c's transformation to take place. A very sick Teal'c violently escapes from the truck leaving behind his Goa'uld larva. _

_Teal'c briefly contacts Jack as the team begins to search for him along with an irate Maybourne. He takes refuge in an abandoned building and is helped by a young girl called Ally. Back at the base, the Goa'uld is dying. Sam is frustrated, believing the answer to keep it alive lies in her Jolinar memories. Jack makes an ad hoc comment which leads Sam and Janet to the answer and __Harlow__ admits there are treatments to save Teal'c. Eventually, Teal'c allows Ally to call Jack and they return him to the SGC where he receives treatment and with his Goa'uld larva replaced in his pouch, begins to get better. When he recovers, he and Daniel return to the abandoned building where Teal'c presents Ally with a new water-gun as a thank you present. He and Ally both fire water at Daniel as they head off to play. _

**Another Threat **

'You all know why we're here.' General Hammond said as he took his seat behind his desk and inched it forward. His pale blue eyes travelled around his small office. Doctor Janet Fraiser sat in the first visitor's chair across from him. The petite brunette was wearing her usual white lab coat over her uniform and looked the picture of competent professionalism. Her colleague, Doctor Mackenzie, sat beside her. The slightly untidy black hair and sharply defined nose gave him an air of a hawk as did the intent look in his eyes which indicated he was constantly observing, a useful trait in his chosen profession as a psychiatrist. Hammond's eyes landed on the last of the group he had ordered to attend the meeting; Colonel Jack O'Neill. The SG1 team leader was dressed more casually than the other two officers; green BDU pants and a black t-shirt comprised his total uniform. He had also eschewed a chair and leaned against a wall; his back flat to the surface, his legs and arms crossed.

Hammond sighed and turned his attention back to the matter at hand. 'As you all know, Captain Carter agreed to allow the examination of the memories of the Goa'uld symbiote that we believe have been left in her mind. You've all been monitoring her for the last couple of months to determine her readiness. Given her own report over the incident with Teal'c where she indicates she believes she had information within her memories that she could not access, I'd like to bring the procedure forward.' He cleared his throat. 'I'd like your thoughts, people.' He waved at Janet indicating she should go first.

'Physically, I have no objections to her undertaking the procedure.' Janet began crisply. 'Captain Carter is in excellent health but I do have some concerns about bringing the procedures forward from our previously agreed schedule.'

'I'm not sure I see this as rushing, Doctor.' Hammond protested. 'Captain Carter indicated almost two months ago that she was willing to undergo the procedures.'

'And as we indicated at the time, General, we had concerns over her motives in doing so and wanted time to establish that she was psychologically ready.' Janet retorted careful to keep her tone respectful. 'Frankly, sir, it is my belief that the request to bring the procedures forward should not happen while Captain Carter feels any guilt over recent events concerning Teal'c.'

'I agree.' Mackenzie sat forward. 'At the present time, Captain Carter is likely to agree to this request purely because of her need for redemption.'

'Redemption?' Hammond asked surprised.

'She brought Harlow on board, sir.' Jack spoke up for the first time. 'Carter was pretty upset when he betrayed her trust and allowed Teal'c to be taken by the NID.' She hadn't been the only one, Jack mused. At least the geneticist had come through for them in the end.

'Not only that,' Mackenzie added, 'but she feels a personal sense of failure over her inability to come up with a solution to have maintained the life of the Goa'uld especially given her belief that the answer is somewhere in the memories the Tok'ra symbiote Jolinar left within her.'

'We're concerned, sir,' Janet said folding her hands on her lap, 'that if the procedure doesn't work and she fails to find any useful information that she will believe this is another failure on her part.'

'General Hammond, I would recommend that we wait until Captain Carter can disassociate the procedure from recent events,' Mackenzie proposed softly, 'that way the sense of importance attached to the procedure will be reduced and any success or failure will be handled with an appropriate level of response.'

'Doctor?' Hammond turned to Janet.

'I agree with Doctor Mackenzie, sir.' Janet said supporting her colleague. 'I don't think this is the right time for Captain Carter to undertake the procedure.'

Hammond settled back in his chair and clasped his hands over his slightly rounded stomach. 'How great a risk is there to Captain Carter physically in doing the procedure now?'

'Physically?' Janet pursed her lips. 'Well, none. The Captain would be hypnotised into a guided sleep. We would monitor her vitals constantly throughout.'

'The risk is to her mental health.' Mackenzie said passionately.

'And how great a risk is that?' Hammond asked again.

'That's difficult to quantify, sir.' Mackenzie waved his hand.

'What are we talking about here?' Hammond said, leaning forward across his desk and pinning the psychiatrist with a hard blue stare. 'Do you think she would suffer a breakdown if the procedure was unsuccessful?'

'A breakdown would be a severe response and…' Mackenzie began.

'Is it likely in Captain Carter's case?' Hammond pressed.

'No.' Mackenzie admitted. 'It's not likely. She has adjusted very well given her experience.'

'So what are we talking about here?' Hammond asked again, impatience creeping into his tone. 'If Captain Carter undergoes the procedure, exactly what is the risk to her mental health beyond some concern over whether she would be able to handle another perceived failure on top of that you believe she currently feels over Teal'c?'

Janet and Mackenzie exchanged a concerned look.

'Given everything Captain Carter has gone through,' Janet argued passionately, 'I believe that subjecting her to a procedure when there is any risk, however slight, would be a mistake. While it might not result in a total breakdown, there may still be damage to her confidence and her self-esteem, or she may suffer traumatic stress from the content of the memories themselves.' She was almost on the edge of the leather chair, her face animated as she tried to convince the General.

Hammond frowned and his eyes slid to Jack. 'What about you, Colonel? Do you think the Captain could handle the procedure and any negative outcome?'

Jack examined Hammond's stern features. He had a feeling the decision had already been made. 'Yes, sir.' He answered formally. 'I think Captain Carter would be able to handle the procedure and any negative outcome.' He was careful to repeat the General's own words back to him.

Hammond looked at him sharply before he shifted in his chair and turned back to the doctors. 'I've heard nothing here to prevent us from moving forward.' He said. 'How quickly could the procedure be set up?'

Janet's face took on a mutinous look. 'I could set up the equipment in the infirmary for tonight, sir. Captain Carter would need to report around twenty-two hundred hours or as close to her normal sleep pattern as possible.'

Jack's lips lifted into a semblance of a smile. 'So, oh-four-hundred then?' He muttered.

Hammond ignored him. 'I'll speak with Captain Carter and have her report to the infirmary at twenty-two hundred. Set up whatever you need.' He ordered.

'Sir, I'd like to formally object to this for the record.' Janet said stiffly as she rose to her feet.

'Your objection is noted, Doctor.' Hammond said crisply. He waved at the two medical officers. 'You're dismissed.' He gestured at Jack. 'Colonel O'Neill, I'd like you to stay behind a moment.'

Jack nodded as Janet and Mackenzie filed out past him into the corridor. Mackenzie closed the door behind him and the office filled with a tense silence.

Hammond settled back in his chair and resolutely faced the Colonel. 'I get the feeling you're not completely on board with this, Colonel.'

Jack shrugged and kept his thoughts to himself.

The General sighed and waved a hand at him. 'You have permission to speak freely, Colonel.'

'I think this is a mistake.' Jack admitted. He pushed away from the wall and straightened. His dog tags glinted against his black t-shirt under the artificial lights as he assumed a semblance of an 'at ease' pose. 'But I think the decision's already been made no matter what I think.'

Hammond gave a small huff of humourless laughter. 'You'd be right.' He sighed and gestured awkwardly at Jack. 'Colonel Maybourne paid me a visit before he left ostensibly to protest at being denied access to Teal'c.'

Jack's brown eyes hardened at the mention of the NID man.

'He suggested that given the failure to derive anything of interest from the incident with Teal'c, the NID might renew their interest in Captain Carter.' Hammond said tersely.

'I should have shot him.' Jack muttered, a slow anger reigniting in his gut.

'And I should have gone ahead and given you permission to beat the crap out of him.' Hammond agreed, his face flushing red with anger at the NID man. 'He was clever. He said nothing I could get him on officially but the threat was there alright.' He shifted in his chair, his eyes glaring at the open report on his desk.

'He knows about your personal relationship with the Carters.' Jack realised.

'It would seem so.' Hammond admitted. He shook his head and his fingers tapped restlessly on the arm of his chair. 'I did some digging about the situation in Washington.'

Jack wasn't surprised. He figured given that the President had been conveniently unavailable during the situation with Teal'c, Hammond had already begun digging anyway regardless of the new threat to Sam. 'And?' He prompted.

'And the political situation isn't in our favour.' Hammond raised a hand wearily. 'There's some bill that the President needs to have Senator Kinsey's support for; Kinsey's pressing for the NID to be given more oversight of the SGC's decisions and actions. My source tells me Kinsey has made it clear to the President that he wants to see less unequivocal support offered to the SGC command at the present time.'

'Great.' Jack bit out. 'So we're getting interference from the NID because Kinsey's playing hardball politics.'

'That's about sums it up.' Hammond said.

'So they get away with assassinating reporters, treating Teal'c and Carter like giant experiments and nothing happens?' Jack's eyes glittered dangerously. 'That sucks.'

'I agree.' Hammond leaned forward. 'But for the time being until this political crisis is resolved we need to keep our heads down and ensure they don't have an opening to come after us.'

'Which is why you're ordering the procedure on Carter.' Jack surmised.

Hammond nodded. 'If we show that the Captain is willing to undergo tests and procedures here then the NID don't really have a case for taking Captain Carter into their custody.' He sighed deeply. 'It's all we can do.'

'And when nothing of import is revealed by the tests?' Jack asked sceptically.

Hammond's thin eyebrows rose a little. 'You think the procedure won't reveal anything?'

'You know me, sir,' Jack quipped, 'although I take great pride in my reputation as Mr Positive, I like to err on the side of caution.'

Hammond stared at him.

'I'm just not sure I buy the whole memory thing.' Jack admitted softly.

'You've witnessed her having a flashback yourself,' Hammond pointed out, 'not to mention her ability to use Goa'uld technology and to sense the presence of the Goa'ulds.'

'I'm not denying that Carter's physiology has changed to allow her to use the technology or sense the Goa'uld just like Cassie sensed the symbiote when it was in Carter, sir, but…' Jack sighed and shifted his weight a little, 'the idea that she has memories and feelings left over from the symbiote in her subconscious? I don't know.'

'You think the flashback was a fluke.' Hammond surmised.

'I think she was physically and mentally exhausted and she thought she had a flashback.' Jack confirmed. He pressed his lips together. 'I just think it's equally possible she put together Daniel's behaviour and his use of the sarcophagus subconsciously and assumed it must have come from some buried memory from the snake.'

'I guess that's possible.' Hammond sighed. 'And her belief that she had the answer to keeping the Goa'uld symbiote alive somewhere in her memories?'

'I'm sure she did. She's a scientist.' Jack pointed out. 'And while I'm no expert on the subject, I'm sure she had to learn something about electrical currents at some point in her studies.'

Hammond smiled at Jack's mocking tone before he sobered. 'Well, I hope you're wrong, Colonel.'

'So do I, sir.' Jack agreed. If they didn't find anything from their procedures it was likely the NID would want to run more tests on the Captain probably somewhere other than the SGC.

'But I want you to continue being cynical about this.' Hammond ordered. 'God knows one of us has to keep a clear head about anything we might learn from Captain Carter's alleged symbiote memories.'

'Yes, sir.' He rocked back on his heels a little. 'You want me to inform the Captain about the procedure tonight, sir?'

'No need, Colonel.' Hammond said crisply. 'I'd like to do that myself.' He paused and held Jack's gaze. 'Captain Carter is not to know about the threat from the NID.'

A muscle twitched in Jack's jaw but he nodded recognising the statement for the order it was.

Hammond reached for his phone. 'You're dismissed.' He watched as Jack came to attention and left the office before he placed the call to his XO to order Sam to report to his office ASAP. It only took fifteen minutes before he heard a knock on the door. He called out for her to enter and the young Air Force officer stepped briskly into the room.

'Captain Carter reporting as ordered, sir.' She stood at attention on the opposite side of his desk.

'At ease, Captain.' He waved at the empty chairs. 'Take a seat.'

'Thank you, sir.' Sam sat down, her blue eyes bright with curiosity.

'Captain, your last report stated that you felt you had the answer to the Goa'uld's survival in the memories you have from your experience as a host.' Hammond began.

'Yes, sir.' Sam tried hard not to fidget under Hammond's concerned regard.

'How would you feel about undergoing the procedure to review those memories earlier than we had planned?'

Sam took a deep breath, her stomach instantly tying into a knot; she ignored it and tried her best to look unaffected. 'I'm ready, sir.'

'Good.' Hammond said briskly. 'You're to report to the infirmary at twenty-two-hundred.' He saw the shock flicker across her face before she smoothed her expression.

'Yes, sir.'

Hammond inwardly wrestled with his decision. As a General deciding how to keep a member of his command safe, he knew that Sam doing the procedure was the best way of keeping the NID at bay. As her Uncle George who had known Sam most of her life, he didn't want to do anything that would cause her the least bit pain. He sighed and put his pen down. 'Are you sure you want to do this, Sam?' He asked gently.

Sam gave a weak smile. 'It's a bit sooner than I expected,' she said quietly, 'but it's something I have to do.' Her resolute eyes met his.

'OK.' Hammond gave her a nod. 'Twenty-two-hundred then.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam got up from her chair and took a step toward the door. She turned back to the General. 'Sir, may I ask a favour?'

Hammond looked over at her in surprise. 'Of course.'

'Would you…that is…' she straightened and took a deep breath, clasping her hands behind her back, 'would you stay with me during the procedure?'

'I'll be there, Sam.' He promised her. 'You can count on it.'

Sam smiled at him. 'Thank you.' She came to attention. 'Sir.' She swiftly departed and Hammond stared at the space where she had stood for a long moment. He truly hoped he was doing the right thing because he didn't think he would forgive himself if he was wrong.

o-O-o

Jack paced up and down Sam's lab impatiently. He figured she'd head there when she was done with Hammond. He wasn't sure whether he should be there waiting for her but he wanted to check she was OK despite the fact that he was deep down furiously angry that she was being pressured into doing the procedure. He should have shot Maybourne; he really should have shot him.

He'd come across guys like Maybourne in his past. They were all the same. Guys who had no problems going down the immoral and unethical route because they believed what they were doing was to protect their country and if that meant killing a few innocent people, breaking a few laws and getting their hands a little dirty, it didn't matter.

Jack hadn't been surprised to hear from Harlow how Maybourne had intended Teal'c to transform completely into the alien bugs. The bugs were, on the surface of it, a great biological weapon and Maybourne had no respect for Teal'c despite everything the Jaffa had done for Earth. Jack could believe in a heartbeat that Maybourne would use Teal'c, killing the Jaffa in the process, to further his own agenda just as Jack could believe Maybourne would threaten to take Carter into custody because of her fleeting experience as a host to a symbiote, never mind that she was a highly decorated and valuable officer.

He whirled to a halt and rubbed his hand furiously through his hair. It wasn't as though Sam hadn't been through enough not just with the actual horror of having a symbiote take control of her but the attack from the Ashrak and having the snake die inside of her. And then there was the aftermath. She had been confined to base for a long time; there had been whispers and rumours surrounding her, saying she was still a Goa'uld; there still were some people who actively avoided her. She'd dealt with it all with more grace and dignity than he could ever have thought possible, and even saved his life and the entire world in the meantime. She didn't deserve to be a target for the rest of her life for the likes of Maybourne.

'Sir?'

Her voice startled him out of his thoughts and he spun round to find her stood just inside the doorway a surprised look on her face at finding him in her lab.

'Hey.' He straightened and placed his hands behind his back. 'You spoke with Hammond?'

'Yes, sir.' Sam said softly. She took a hesitant step toward her computer and stopped unsure what the Colonel wanted.

'You OK with everything?' Jack asked abruptly.

Sam hesitated almost imperceptibly before she nodded. 'Yes, sir.'

Her voice shook a little and he realised belatedly that his evident tension wasn't conducive to getting her to confide in him. He took a deep breath and slid onto a stool, resting his arms on the workbench with his hands reaching for the gadget there. He tried a smile. 'You sure about that?' He asked, keeping his tone light.

It worked. He saw it in how her shoulders dropped and how she hurried towards him. 'I'm sure, sir.' She snatched the gadget out of his hands. 'Careful, sir. It's fragile.'

He allowed her to rescue the device without complaint and didn't let himself be distracted. 'Because you know if you have any doubts about doing this procedure thing, you don't have to go through with it.' He meant every word. He knew Hammond wanted to do the procedure because it would keep the NID away from her for a while but if she didn't want to do it, Jack swore to himself she wouldn't have to do it. He'd protect her somehow.

Sam set the device aside and looked at him. She softened at the protective gleam in his brown eyes. In a strange way it settled the nerves swimming in her belly. She knew she only had to say the word and the Colonel would go to bat for her and stop the whole procedure. 'I know, sir, but I need to do this.'

His eyes changed from protective to quizzical. 'Really?'

'I know it's difficult to understand, sir.' She smiled self-deprecatingly. 'I'm not sure I understand it myself but I think it's the only way I'm going to understand some of the things I dream about or feel.' She shrugged at the scepticism that passed briefly over his face. 'I can't explain it, sir.'

'Well, if you're sure.' Jack said.

'You never know, sir. I might even find something useful.' Sam said brightly.

He didn't know how to respond to that given his own cynicism. He pointed at the door. 'I'd better…' He slid off the stool and gave her a light pat on the shoulder as he passed her on his way out.

'Sir?'

He glanced over his shoulder at her. 'Yes, Captain?'

She fiddled with the gadget nervously. 'Will you be there tonight? I mean, you and Daniel and Teal'c.'

Jack nodded slowly. 'Of course.' He smiled. 'Where else would we be?'

She smiled back at him. 'Thank you, sir.'

Jack nodded again and headed down the corridor to the elevators. He exited at the level for the locker room. He'd change and hit the gym for an hour. Hopefully when he'd finished, Teal'c and Daniel would be back and they could grab Sam and head to the commissary for dinner. He slowed as he caught sight of the two men walking towards him.

'Hey.' His brown eyes settled on Daniel's soaked t-shirt and wet hair before he flickered to Teal'c's immaculately dry clothing. 'Freak shower?' He asked delicately.

'Teal'c and Ally had a water fight.' Daniel said, shaking himself as they all entered the locker room.

'Cool.' Jack said.

'Daniel Jackson was unfortunately caught in the cross-fire.' Teal'c confirmed with a hint of a smirk on his impassive face.

'They shot me.' Daniel sounded outraged.

'Of course they did.' Jack said easily. 'Sorry I couldn't go with you guys.'

Teal'c inclined his head acknowledging the apology.

'I'm going to change and head home.' Daniel said, slightly peeved at the lack of sympathy as he reached for a dry t-shirt.

'No you're not.' Jack said, leaning against his locker. 'You're staying on base tonight. We all are.'

Teal'c halted in undressing. 'Do we have a mission, O'Neill?'

'Yeah.' Jack waved his hand. 'Carter's doing the hypnosis thing to examine her memories from the snake tonight.'

Daniel froze. 'You're kidding.'

'Do I look like I'm kidding, Daniel?' Jack asked brusquely.

'No,' Daniel agreed, 'you look like you want to shoot something.'

It was an accurate reading of his state of mind, Jack determined. 'Yeah.' He muttered.

'I didn't think it was scheduled for another month.' Daniel continued as he began dressing again.

'It wasn't. Hammond brought it forward.' Jack said, crossing his arms.

'I don't understand.' Daniel said, sitting down on the bench and staring at Jack. 'Why would Hammond bring it forward?'

Jack hesitated. Hammond had ordered him not to tell Sam but he hadn't explicitly ordered him not to tell the rest of the team. 'The NID were pissed at not getting Teal'c or the bug thing. They indicated Sam was next on their wanted list.'

Daniel's eyes went wide with astonishment.

'They are cowards.' Teal'c growled. His dark eyes flashed with anger and Jack met them with complete understanding.

'Yeah, they are.' Jack sighed. 'Sam isn't to be told about the threat. She has enough to deal with going through the procedure. Hammond thinks that if we can show something from Sam's memories without the NID getting involved, they won't get support for taking her into custody.'

'And if she doesn't remember anything?' Daniel frowned.

'We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.' Jack said quietly. 'But I'll be damned if I'm watching Maybourne walk another one of my people out of this base in chains.' His brown eyes flickered to Teal'c; another apology for not stopping what had happened to his friend.

Teal'c inclined his head a little. 'I understood, O'Neill.'

'I think we all feel bad we didn't do more to prevent it, Teal'c.' Daniel confessed quietly.

The Jaffa struggled with what to say. In truth he had been disappointed at his team-mates for not stopping Maybourne from taking him but he also appreciated the untenable position they had occupied. It seemed pointless to dwell on something that couldn't be changed.

'Well, it's not happening again.' Jack repeated. 'We might have screwed up letting them walk out with Teal'c but we're not making the same mistake with Carter.'

'Indeed,' agreed Teal'c. 'I will allow no harm to Captain Carter, I swear this.'

Jack reached over and touched his arm in acknowledgement of Teal'c's vow. 'I think we're all agreed.' He looked over at the archaeologist and Daniel nodded.

'So Sam's doing the procedure without knowing anything about the threat from Maybourne?' Daniel checked. 'Shouldn't she know?'

'Hammond doesn't want to put extra pressure on her before the procedure and I agree with him.' Jack said. 'We'll tell her after it's over.'

Daniel nodded again but his unhappiness at keeping Sam in the dark was clear. 'Let's hope she remembers something.'

'Yeah.' Jack muttered. 'Let's hope.'

His words echoed through his head a few hours later when they all took their places in the observation room. Below them through the glass, Sam climbed into the infirmary bed and Janet attached small electrical monitors to her forehead.

'I didn't realise General Hammond would be so involved.' Daniel commented as they saw the SGC commander take a seat next to Sam's bed.

Jack didn't reply. His eyes were pinned to Sam's pale face. She glanced up at the observation window as though she sensed him and their eyes caught. She gave him a grateful smile and he smiled back. They watched as she settled into the bed and lay down as Mackenzie began the hypnosis.

'She'll be OK, Jack.' Daniel said softly seeing Jack's face crease with concern.

'Right.' He muttered.

'Daniel Jackson is correct, O'Neill. Captain Carter will be fine.' Teal'c murmured, his own eyes pinned to the small form of their female team-mate.

'I guess all we can do now is wait.' Daniel said when their team leader remained silent.

Jack nodded. All they could do was wait and see if Sam could remember anything of Jolinar's life because he had a feeling deep down in his gut that her own depended on it…


	31. New Alliances

**Author's Note:** Sam/Team friendship with slight emphasis on Sam/Janet friendship. Jacob/Selmak friendship.

**The Tok'ra Part 1 and 2 Recap:** _Sam remembers a gate address which she believes is the base for the Tok'ra, a Goa'uld resistance movement. A sceptical Jack agrees to a mission to the planet and SG1 sets out. Sam goes even though, as she confides in Hammond, she is concerned about her ill father, Jacob. When they get to the planet, they are ambushed by the Tok'ra but Sam's memories of Jolinar win them an audience with the Tok'ra Council and they are transported to underground tunnels. A Tok'ra called Martouf takes an interest in Sam and admits he was Jolinar's mate; a revelation that confuses Sam who feels Jolinar's emotions as though they were her own. Meanwhile, Jacob deteriorates rapidly and Hammond sends SG3 to extract Sam from the mission just as the Tok'ra initially reject the offer of an alliance and tell the teams that they will be 'guests' until the Tok'ra move to another base. _

_A desperate Sam conceives of a plan to save her father; the Tok'ra are in urgent need of a host for a symbiote called Selmak; she offers to ask her father if he would be willing. The Tok'ra allow Sam and Jack to return to the SGC but keep the rest as insurance of their return. A disbelieving and very sick Jacob agrees and they travel back to the news that the Goa'uld are coming to the planet and the Tok'ra are evacuating; SG1 and SG3 are free to go. As Jacob meets Selmak and becomes a Tok'ra host, Jack leads the Tok'ra leader Garshaw to a spy within their ranks. With the Tok'ra tunnels rapidly disappearing, Jack allows Sam to stay behind with Martouf and her father who is still unconscious while he blends with Selmak. He and the rest of SG1 await her return anxiously at the SGC. Sam, Jacob and Martouf all make it back safely and Jacob confirms that the alliance will be good for Earth but the Tok'ra have to leave immediately as their evacuation site may have also been compromised by the spy. Jacob says goodbye to Sam who watches her father disappear with Martouf and Garshaw through the Stargate._

**New Alliances**

The wormhole disappeared, leaving a pensive Samantha Carter staring up at the metal ring of the Stargate.

'You OK, Carter?' Jack O'Neill looked at the young Captain with worry as she turned to him with a blank expression. She had been through a heck of a lot in the past few days; facing the Tok'ra after her experience with Jolinar, dealing with her father's impending death from cancer, and coming up with a remarkable plan to offer her father the opportunity to act as a Tok'ra host, healing him and in one fell swoop proving the worth of the Tau'ri to the Tok'ra and providing a liaison between them. What was even more remarkable was that it had worked.

Sam shook away her fatigue as she registered the Colonel was looking at her with concern. 'I'm fine, sir.'

Jack nodded slowly. 'We have a debriefing in an hour. Why don't you hit the shower first?'

'Thank you, sir.' Sam didn't argue; the thought of the hot water running over her sore muscles was too tempting. She headed for the locker room tiredly. She barely remembered to place the sign on the door that signalled to the male personnel that the room was a female domain before she stripped.

A moment later with her thought turned into reality, Sam let the pounding spray ease the tight muscles at the back of her neck. She closed her eyes and raised her head letting her mind go blank as the water streamed over her face and moistened her lips. She stroked her short hair back and reached for the shampoo. She massaged the foam into her head and rinsed it clean. She sighed wearily and for the first time since she had stepped into the locker room allowed her thoughts to drift back to the mission, to her father.

God, she hoped she had done the right thing. He had been so positive when he had left; reassuring Hammond that he had done the right thing seeking out the Tok'ra, thanking her for the opportunity and even teasing her with the news that Selmak was the oldest and wisest symbiote amongst the Tok'ra.

She had saved his life with her plan, she reminded herself as she soaped her body. Selmak had healed him of his cancer and even of his more minor ailments such as arthritis. Her father would live, surely that had to be good. Yet she had lost him anyway, she realised with a pang of loneliness. He had left immediately with the Tok'ra and into danger. The Tok'ra had been surprised by a spy in their midst and they could have returned to face another imminent attack…she shook her head sending the water spray flying in all directions.

She had to stop thinking about it, she thought furiously as she rinsed off. Her father was a General; a trained Air Force officer. He knew how to take care of himself and if the 'oldest and wisest' thing was true then he had a Tok'ra symbiote, who was used to the universe out there, to take care of him and ensure their joint survival. Not to mention Martouf had promised to watch over him…

She slapped the water off and reached for a towel. She wrapped it securely around her body and grabbed another. She headed for her locker rubbing her hair dry. She dumped the damp towel on the bench and reached for her moisturiser, smoothing it first into her face and neck.

Martouf and Lantash. The thought of the Tok'ra host and symbiote had a warm feeling spreading through her body like she had suddenly stepped into sunlight. She loved him…no, Jolinar loved him. It was so weird, Sam mused. She could feel how Jolinar had felt for Martouf as though _she_ felt it. A bit like when Narim of the Tollans had shared his emotions with her via a technical device only multiplied by a thousand. It was like Jolinar's feelings were her own. She skimmed moisture up her arm and for a moment found herself caught in a flashback from the symbiote's memories; Martouf running his hand up her arm, love and lust in his eyes…

Emotions washed through her; arousal that made her blush red and underneath it joy and love and…grief. A gut-wrenching sense of loss from Jolinar's dying knowledge that she wouldn't see Martouf and Lantash again, ripped through Sam. She staggered backward, reeling as the raw grief coursed through her. Her eyes blurred, her body shook and she gasped for breath. More memories of Jolinar's life surfaced; darker and terrifying. Heat. Betrayal. Pain.

Unconsciousness descended swiftly as Sam's mind shut down automatically protecting her from the horrors Jolinar had lived through. She barely felt the blow when she hit the bench as she fell to the floor with an audible thud.

o-O-o

'Did you hear that?' Jack demanded, pushing off the corridor wall and staring at the shut door of the locker room with narrowed eyes.

'What?' Daniel Jackson asked bemused, without looking up from his position sat on the floor. He was almost asleep; his eyes were closed and his head rested against the wall.

'I believe I heard something also, O'Neill.' Teal'c confirmed. His low voice rumbled deeply with concern. He exchanged a brief look with the Colonel.

Jack took two strides across the corridor and rapped on the locker room door. 'Are you OK in there, Carter?' He waited ten seconds. 'Captain?'

Daniel stirred. He got to his feet wearily and crossed his arms over his chest. He frowned at the continuing silence. 'Sam?' he called loudly.

Jack's hand was already reaching for the door handle.

Daniel's shot out to stop him. 'What are you doing?' He hissed.

'What do you think I'm doing, Daniel? I'm going in.' Jack said slowly as though talking to a child.

'And what if she's…' Daniel gestured wildly. 'She could just be in the shower and didn't hear us.'

'That is unlikely, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c drew a questioning look from both of his team-mates. 'The shower is not running.' He pointed out.

Jack's lips firmed. 'Carter, if you can hear me, we're coming in.' He turned the handle and pushed the door. It swung open.

Sam was immediately visible; lying on the floor by the bench covered only in the towel she had wrapped around herself.

Jack swore and hurried over to her, the rest of SG1 just behind him.

'Is she…?' Daniel's throat closed up on the question as Jack checked Sam's neck for a pulse.

'Get a medical team in here now.' Jack ordered. He was barely aware of Teal'c running to carry out his order. He was already shifting Sam into a recovery position. Her towel gaped open revealing a tantalising glimpse of flesh. Jack gently secured the towel back into position. He gestured at Daniel. 'Get another towel.'

Daniel hurried over to the stack by the showers and came back with two. 'I thought we could use one for a pillow.' He explained, gently moving Sam's head.

'Good idea.' Jack said as he placed the other one over her like a blanket, covering her bare legs. 'I think it's just a faint.' His hand stroked over her bare shoulder unthinkingly. 'She was pretty exhausted.'

Daniel blinked at his hand as he stood up and he swayed a little. 'Uh…Jack?'

'What?' Jack looked up almost irritated until he caught Daniel's worried expression. The younger man turned his shaking hand over to reveal his palm.

Blood.

Jack's eyes shot back to Sam and he shifted, almost lying on the floor, to get a better look at the side of her head that was on the towel. 'Dammit.'

'She must have hit her head when she fell.' Daniel mused.

'Ya think?' Jack muttered. His eyes caught the brief flicker of hurt in Daniel's and he grimaced. 'Sorry, I just…'

Daniel opened his mouth to reassure Jack and closed it again as Janet Fraiser hurried in, two medics and Teal'c at her heels.

Jack stood up and took a step back allowing the petite doctor to do her work. 'We think she has a head injury, Doc.' He informed her crisply.

'Thank you, Colonel.' Janet nodded at the medic. 'Brace her neck.'

'Is she OK?' Daniel asked urgently as the medical team oversaw the transfer of Sam to a gurney.

'We'll know more once we run some tests.' Janet patted his arm. She kept pace beside the gurney as SG1 followed the transport of their team-mate to the infirmary.

They took all too familiar places in the corridor outside the treatment room as they waited for news. Daniel sank back down to the floor beside Jack's feet; the Colonel was leaning heavily against the wall while Teal'c stood upright, his feet planted a foot apart and his hands behind his back. Rapid footsteps had them all turning and Teal'c helped Daniel off the floor as General Hammond came to a stop in front of them. Jack straightened into a semblance of a military position.

'How is she?' Hammond asked without preamble.

'We're still waiting for news, sir.' Jack responded formally. His jaw tightened. 'Fraiser's in with her now.'

'The Airman said she collapsed?' Hammond probed.

'We think she fainted and knocked her head on her way down.' Daniel explained.

_Damn._ Hammond barely kept the word from escaping his lips. He swept a hand over his balding head and pushed his worry about Sam to one side to focus on what had to be done. His regretful blue eyes met Jack's. 'I need the rest of SG1 in the briefing room as scheduled, Colonel.'

'Sir…' Jack began to protest and stopped when Hammond shook his head.

'I'm sorry, Colonel, but I have a call to brief the President and the Joint Chiefs immediately after and it cannot be delayed.' Hammond explained. 'I'll make sure the infirmary informs us of any news as soon as it is available.'

'Understood, sir.' Jack responded briefly.

Hammond gave a nod of acknowledgement and walked away.

Jack let out a heavy and rubbed a hand through his greying hair sending the strands awry. 'We should clean up.'

They all turned reluctantly and made their way back to the locker room. Their showers were short and all three male members of SG1 were present and correct for the scheduled debriefing.

Colonel Robert Makepeace, the SG3 leader, offered an uneasy smile from his place at the table. 'Hammond's still in his office.' He said as Daniel headed for the coffee pot while Jack and Teal'c took seats opposite him. He wasn't surprised when the archaeologist sat beside Jack on the other side completing the SG1 side of the table.

Jack glanced through the small internal window into Hammond's office. The General was talking on the black phone. As Jack watched Hammond ended the call and strode out. Makepeace shot to his feet and Jack followed at a more sedate pace.

Hammond waved them all to sit down again as he took the chair at the top of the table. 'I've just talked with Doctor Fraiser. Captain Carter still hasn't regained consciousness but otherwise it looks like the head injury was minor. There's no sign of trauma to the brain or a skull fracture.' He almost smiled at the cautious looks of relief that were exchanged among the SG1 team. 'Shall we begin?' He turned to Jack and indicated for him to start.

Jack kept his report succinct. Hammond already knew most of the earlier details of their first contact with the Tok'ra; Jack and Sam had gone over them when Sam had detailed her plan to make her father a host. He sat back and listened as Teal'c and Daniel added their own impressions and experiences with Makepeace completing the formal reports.

'One final item.' Hammond said clearing his throat. He clasped his hands on the top of the table and held their attention firmly. 'I know General Carter indicated that we had done the right thing in seeking out the Tok'ra but I'm also aware that he is now a host. I'd like your honest opinions, people. Do _we_ believe this will be a beneficial alliance for Earth?'

There was a silence that had Hammond's lips thinning. 'Well?'

'Sir, I think it's early days.' Jack said diplomatically, gesturing with the pen he held.

'Indeed.' Teal'c agreed.

'Teal'c?' Hammond pressed him for a more detailed explanation of his agreement.

'I believe the Tok'ra may prove to be a great ally for the Tau'ri,' Teal'c expanded, 'but our time with them was too short to make any further judgement.'

'I don't think that's completely true.' Daniel responded almost unthinkingly. He adjusted his glasses as everyone turned to look at him. 'We know they're advanced as the Goa'uld and that they have the ability to take symbiotes from hosts.' His inner hope that he had found another way to help his captured wife if he found her again shone briefly in his blue eyes.

'That only helps us if they share their technology with us.' Makepeace pointed out.

'What about their friendship? Their support?' Daniel argued.

'Those are only useful if they give us tangible benefits.' Makepeace continued.

Daniel leaned forward across the table to argue further. 'Just think what we could learn from the Tok'ra about the galaxy and our culture…'

'We understand your point, Doctor Jackson.' Hammond interrupted before the argument went further. 'Colonel, do you think they're trustworthy?' He looked at Jack who shrugged.

'They kept their word and let us go when they evacuated.' Jack admitted. He shifted in his chair uneasy.

'But?' Hammond prompted.

'But I'm not particularly thrilled they were prepared to keep us as prisoners.' Jack sighed.

'For our own protection as much as theirs.' Daniel added swiftly.

'Maybe.' Jack allowed, although the look he shot Hammond was one of disbelief. 'I just think we should use caution until we know them a whole lot better.' He waved the pen again. 'They clearly have problems within their own ranks.'

'The spy?' Hammond nodded. 'That is a cause for concern.'

'But,' Jack added, 'they are committed to fighting the Goa'uld and I can't believe I'm going to say this,' he gave a shake of his head, 'but they do seem on the level.'

'Thank you, Colonel, everyone, for your thoughts.' Hammond closed the folder in front of him. 'I'd like your reports by sixteen-hundred tomorrow but I'd like to thank you all for your efforts on this one. I don't think I have to tell you that the President and the Joint Chiefs will be pleased.'

'Carter deserves the credit, sir.' Jack said forcefully. 'It was her intel and her plan that won us some credibility with them.'

'I'll be sure to point that out, Colonel.' Hammond said as he stood up. 'Dismissed.'

o-O-o

'Hello there.' Janet shone her pen in Sam's eye checking the pupil's responsiveness. She was pleased with the result and snapped the light off much to the young Captain's relief.

'What happened?' Sam croaked.

Janet helped her take a drink of water. 'We were hoping you could tell us.' Her compassionate brown eyes held Sam's. 'What do you remember?'

Sam sighed and settled back on the pillows. Her hand drifted to the pain throbbing in her head and encountered the gauze dressing. She frowned and looked at Janet questioningly.

'You hit your head.' Janet confirmed. 'Now, what can you remember?'

'I was in the shower,' Sam replied, 'and I remember standing in front of my locker…' her face creased as she tried to recall the next moment. She shook her head, wincing at the pain. 'I don't remember.'

'Don't worry,' Jane soothed her, 'that's pretty normal in the circumstances.'

'Did I fall?' Sam asked trying to put the pieces together.

Janet gave a half smile. 'That's a possibility. The floor was wet; you might have slipped and hit your head knocking you unconscious or…'

'Or?' prompted Sam.

'Or you might have fainted and hit your head when you collapsed.'

'Great.' Sam muttered.

'Your blood sugar is a little low.' Janet informed her. 'When was the last time you ate something?'

Sam's blank expression told its own story.

'Hmmm.' Janet's frown signalled her disapproval. 'I'll get you something to eat.' She disappeared and a few minutes later returned with a tray of food.

Sam accepted it eagerly, her stomach growling in hungry anticipation.

'Just eat it slowly.' Janet cautioned. 'You have a concussion and might feel a little nauseous if you eat it too fast.' She pulled up a chair and watched Sam eat with satisfaction. 'So,' she said, 'how was meeting the Tok'ra?'

'Good.' Sam swallowed the mouthful of food and took a sip of water. 'It was good.'

'Really?' Janet checked, seeing the differing emotions flicker across Sam's expressive face.

'Well, weird.' Sam admitted with a smile. 'I don't know.' Her eyes turned inward remembering the planet and the tunnels. 'It was like a really bad case of déjà vu, you know. Everything seemed familiar; the place, the people…only I couldn't get to the memories of how I knew them.'

'Any flashbacks?' Janet asked.

'Not really.' Sam said, digging into her meal again. 'I'd occasionally get an image in my head if it was a strong memory like with Martouf.'

'Martouf?' Janet's eyebrows rose.

Sam felt herself blushing again. 'He was…uh…Jolinar's mate.'

'Oh.' The single word was filled with teasing amusement. Janet scoured Sam's embarrassed expression. 'I guess that was a surprise.'

'You could say that.' Sam muttered, concentrating on her food.

'So?'

'So?' Sam repeated, lifting her eyes defiantly from the stew to stare at Janet.

'That had to be quite an experience.' Janet said mildly. 'Coming face to face with someone Jolinar was very intimately acquainted with.'

Sam nodded. She pushed her food around her plate. 'It was odd.' She noted eventually. 'When I was with him it was like I was his…Jolinar. Like I had lived a life with him.' She looked over at Janet. 'You remember when I told you about the emotional recorder the Tollan guy Narim gave me?'

'The one where you felt his emotions?'

'Yeah…' Sam sighed. 'That's what it felt like but even more so. It was like I was the one who loved him; who'd been loved by him.'

Janet heard the envy that laced through the words. 'And now?' She pressed gently. 'How do you feel about him now?'

Sam reached for the small tub of blue jello. 'A little embarrassed to be honest.' She confessed. 'I mean, he seems attractive, nice; kind even but I don't know him.'

'So when you're with him the emotional memories are stronger but when you're apart you can separate how you feel about him from Jolinar?' Janet checked.

'Yes.' Sam agreed hesitantly. 'I guess so.' She frowned. 'I can't believe my own reactions are influenced so much by the memories left by the symbiote.'

'Well, by the sound of it, we are talking about some strong emotions.' Janet said comfortingly. 'If Jolinar and Martouf had been together a long time and had loved each other as you say, it's no wonder you had such a strong reaction to him.' She smiled. 'It's likely the more contact you have the more you'll be able to separate your reactions from those prompted by the leftover emotions you feel from Jolinar.'

'I hope so.' Sam said fervently. She sighed. 'At least I got to know more about her…about who she was.' She swallowed the last of her jello and pushed the table away. 'It helped.'

'I'm glad to hear it.' Janet said. 'How are you feeling now?'

Sam did a quick inventory and gave a quick grimace. 'OK.'

'Your head aching?' Janet asked perceptively. She suppressed her smile when Sam nodded reluctantly. 'I'll prescribe you some more painkillers.' Her expression changed minutely signalling the shift from doctor to friend. 'So if Jolinar and Martouf were mates and you had some flashbacks…' she began teasingly.

Sam's blue eyes narrowed on her. 'Yes?'

'Was there any good stuff?' Janet asked bluntly.

'Janet!' Sam laughed and leaned back on the pillows as she giggled.

'I'm only asking as your doctor.' Janet defended with a smile.

'Asking what?' Jack asked as he entered with Teal'c and Daniel.

The two women looked at each other and agreed to drop the subject silently.

'Nothing important, sir.' Janet said as she slipped off the stool.

Jack glanced at both women and determined it was one of those moments as a man that he was best ignoring. 'So how are you?' He asked as his eyes landed back on Sam.

'I'm fine, sir.' Sam said brightly.

'She has a minor concussion.' Janet corrected. 'She has to stay overnight for observation but she should be fine to return to light duties tomorrow.'

'That's good news.' Daniel said as he walked around to stand on the opposite side of Sam.

Janet nodded. 'I'll leave you to visit for a while but you'll need to leave the Captain to rest.' She looked at each of the SG1 team-members individually as though to drive her point home before she looked back over at Sam. 'I'll send the nurse in with your painkillers.' She turned and strode out without waiting for an acknowledgement.

'You know there are easier ways of getting out of a debriefing, Carter.' Jack said as he sat on the stool Janet had vacated.

'Yes, sir.' Sam smiled. 'How was it?'

'Oh the usual.' Jack rejoined.

'General Hammond was wanting to know if we thought the alliance was a good idea.' Daniel added, missing the warning look Jack shot him.

Sam frowned. 'He doesn't think it is?'

'I think we all think it's early days, Captain.' Jack said easily.

'I don't think Makepeace will think it's a good idea until the Tok'ra start giving us their technology.' Daniel muttered as he rocked back on his heels.

'An alliance is not just about their technology.' Sam argued.

'We know that, Carter.' Jack stared at Daniel; a silent rebuke for upsetting her.

Daniel shuffled a little. 'Sorry, Sam. I was just…'

'It's OK, Daniel.' Sam reached out and caught his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. 'Like the Colonel says, it's early days yet.' Worry about her father skittered through her again.

Jack saw the fleeting anxiety in her eyes and the faint white lines that etched her face. 'Why don't we leave you to rest?'

'Thank you, sir.' Sam said gratefully.

Her team leader gestured at Daniel and Teal'c who reluctantly made their farewells. Within moments she was left alone in the room with her thoughts.

o-O-o

Hammond silently opened the infirmary room door and sneaked into the room. It was lit with a single lamp casting a golden puddle over its sleeping occupant. He crept forward and realised belatedly that there was another person in the room. Teal'c rose from his stool in the shadows and bowed. He left swiftly before Hammond could say or do anything. The General shook his head; he might have known that the Jaffa would be keeping watch on his female team-mate. Hammond pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed. His features softened imperceptibly as he watched Sam and his mind drifted back to a conversation with her father…

_Jacob leaned against the locker, his scant energy gone from dressing in the unusual fatigues of the SGC. _

'_You OK, Jake?' Hammond asked concerned._

'_I'm fine.' Jacob immediately straightened. _

'_Jacob,' Hammond indicated for his friend to sit on the bench, 'have a seat.'_

'_Uh oh.' Jacob sat down trying not to show how weak he was feeling. 'You have that look.'_

'_What look?'_

'_That look.' Jacob waved at him. 'The one where you have something serious to say to me that I'm not going to like.'_

_Hammond didn't deny it. 'Look, Jake, I know you've agreed to do this but I want to check you've really considered the ramifications.'_

'_I've considered the ramifications, George.' Jacob said bluntly. 'I do this or I'm dead and that's just not acceptable.'_

'_There's more to it than that, Jake.' Hammond sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. 'We don't know a great deal about these Tok'ra and what we do know indicates that they are hunted by the Goa'uld even more than we are. You could be walking straight into danger and that doesn't even cover how it might be to actually have one of those…symbiotes in your head.'_

'_George, right now, I'm counting my life in minutes.' Jacob shook his head. 'And although I can't believe I'm agreeing to this, if I have to share my body with some…symbiote so I can live I'm prepared to do that.'_

'_And if they're not on the level?' Hammond asked softly._

'_Then we'll find it out and you guys know where you stand with these Tok'ra people.' Jacob said simply._

_Hammond nodded. 'You should know I've told Colonel O'Neill that if there is any sign at all that we have been betrayed he has permission to shoot you.'_

'_Thank you, George.' Jacob's gratitude was sincere. He knew the mission was risky and if he ended up with some power-crazy alien symbiote in his head controlling his body without any kind of sharing then he would prefer the Colonel to shoot him. Jacob looked around the locker room and shook his head. 'This is quite some operation, George.'_

'_We have our moments.' Hammond said dryly._

'_And Sam's important here?' Jacob asked. _

'_She's our expert on the Stargate,' Hammond answered, 'and more than that she's a bona fide hero, Jake.' He turned to hold his friend's curious stare. 'You know those meteor's that were reported a few months back?'_

'_Yeah.' Jacob responded cautiously._

'_They were attacking Goa'uld mother-ships. SG1 destroyed them and single-handedly saved the Earth from an invasion.'_

'_That's why the President was awarding them the medals.' Jacob realised. _

'_You should be proud of her, Jake. She's a hell of an officer.' _

'_I am.' Jacob said._

_Hammond smiled. 'Maybe you ought to tell her that.' He stood up. 'Well, if you're ready, we should get this show on the road.'_

_Jacob pushed himself up from the bench. 'George, whatever happens…you'll take care of seeing to the house and the…'_

'_Leave it with me.' Hammond said._

'_I don't want her bothered with all that.' Jacob said, running his hand over his face._

'_She won't be.' Hammond assured him._

'_George,' Jacob held his friend's gaze, 'look after my little girl.'_

'_You have my word.' Hammond promised him. 'You have my word.'_

Hammond's attention was swiftly brought back to the present as Sam stirred. The Captain opened her startling blue eyes and looked at him uncomprehending for a moment before realisation set in. She shifted, struggling to sit up and greet the General.

He waved her back. 'This is a social call, Sam. I just wanted to check how you were.'

Sam subsided. 'I'm OK.'

'I wanted you to know that your Dad asked me to take care of his outstanding personal business in his absence. You won't need to do anything.'

Her eyes shone with gratitude. 'Thanks, Uncle George.'

'Have you…have you considered what you're going to tell Mark?' Hammond asked tentatively. He wasn't surprised when Sam pulled a face at the mention of her brother.

'You know he wouldn't take my calls when Dad was sick.' Sam sighed. 'I don't know. Maybe I won't tell him anything.'

'Well, you have some time to think about it and if you need any help…'

'Thank you but I should be OK.' Sam interrupted briskly.

Hammond almost smiled. 'Well, the offer is there.'

Sam rearranged her covers slightly self-consciously. 'Daniel mentioned that you had some concerns about our alliance with the Tok'ra.'

He felt the tug between his responsibilities as General compete with those of Sam's childhood uncle. 'It's early days, Captain.'

She registered the change to formality but pressed on regardless. 'It's just…this was my idea, sir, and if we're not sure about them then my Dad…'

'Will be fine.' Hammond hastened to reassure her. He reached over and patted her hand. 'We might officially be a little cautious about the alliance with the Tok'ra but your father was clear he was convinced the alliance was a good idea.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam said softly.

Hammond cleared his throat. 'I should leave you to rest.' He patted her hand as he stood up. 'Try not to worry about your father, Sam; your Dad is one of the toughest old coots I know. Knowing him he's probably taken charge and running the place already.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam murmured worriedly as he slipped out of the infirmary room. She settled back and closed her eyes. I hope you're OK, Dad, she thought as she drifted back into sleep…

o-O-o

New Tok'ra Base

Jacob stepped out of the wormhole onto the fifth planet in as many hours. The Tok'ra had been surprised at Garshaw's determination to move them again and further to leave a false trail to hide their eventual destination; a planet in a small system that the spy had been unaware existed. It was a former base and Jacob's mind filled with memories from Selmak of their previous occupation as they stepped into the newly forming tunnels. He shook his head bewildered.

'Jacob, Selmak usually oversees the living accommodation.' Garshaw instructed crisply.

'Right.' Jacob murmured. Garshaw reminded him of an old CO he'd once had; focused exclusively on the mission to the exclusion of all else including how tired his team might be.

_Perhaps I should take over. _

Jacob registered Selmak's internal request and felt the moment's automatic resistance at the thought but as a wave of tiredness rushed through him, he acquiesced. Immediately, he felt the symbiote take control.

'Garshaw.' Selmak's voice echoed authoratively in the tunnels.

Garshaw turned surprised at Selmak's appearance. 'Selmak…'

'Garshaw, you will have to find somebody else to oversee the living accommodation.' Selmak said quietly, ignoring Jacob's inner surprise. 'This blending is still new and was done in the most difficult of circumstances. Jacob is weary as am I.'

'Of course, I should have realised.' Garshaw apologised. 'It's just Jacob seemed…'

'He is a soldier who is very adept at hiding his discomfort and unease.' Selmak admitted. 'However, I have not been a soldier for many years and I require rest.'

Martouf quickly hurried over to Selmak's side. 'I will oversee the living accommodation, Selmak.'

'Thank you, Martouf.' Selmak bowed her host's head briefly. 'I will retire to the temporary quarters.'

A few moments later, Jacob found himself stretched out on a sleeping platform, a pillow under his head and covered with a light blanket. Selmak had relinquished control as soon as they were lying prone and resting.

_We should be helping_, Jacob thought anxiously.

_We should be resting_, Selmak rejoined.

_They need our help;_ Jacob's suggestion was tinged with his desire to prove his usefulness.

_We can help later,_ Selmak insisted.

_Are you usually this argumentative?_ Jacob sighed and rubbed his face.

_Yes._

He couldn't help but smile as the unequivocal answer.

_We're going to make a good team, Jacob_. Selmak's internal voice was smug. Jacob could feel her satisfaction at having him as her new host and it settled his own nerves. His body began to relax and he could feel Selmak start to hum as she worked on easing the remaining knots in his back, and receded from his mind allowing him some mental alone time, even though he vaguely realised she was still sharing his every thought.

He liked her humming, he decided. It reminded him of his late wife. Katherine had hummed when she was happy, he thought tiredly. Usually he would find her the morning after his return from a mission in the kitchen making pancakes with the kids and humming. The happy memory triggered a pang of homesickness. He already missed Earth, he realised with surprise. He definitely already missed his kids. The thought of his son Mark was quickly buried but his mind lingered on Sam.

Who knew she had such a great assignment? Jacob laughed inwardly with rueful amusement at the acknowledgement that she had never needed him to make her dreams come true. But it was also a dangerous assignment, his paternal anxiety pointed out ruthlessly. By the sound of it she had already gone through a hell of a lot especially with the whole business of her being taken over unwillingly by a symbiote…

_Jolinar acted against our highest law, Jacob._ Selmak's voice whispered through him. He could sense her regret at intruding on his thought train but also her desire to reassure him that all the Tok'ra would not have acted as Jolinar had done. _Had she lived, what she did to your daughter in taking her against her will would have meant banishment from the Tok'ra._

_According to Sam this Jolinar symbiote was just trying to survive, _Jacob thought back.

Selmak's response was swift: _Regardless, she should never have taken your daughter as a host; she placed Samantha in grave danger._

Jacob couldn't argue with her, but he was determined to try and understand the Tok'ra symbiote that had taken Sam as a host better. _Sam believes Jolinar saved her life._

_Giving her life to save your daughter's was the only right choice,_ Selmak determined, _she risked it by taking it the first place._

_You're pretty hot on this,_ Jacob realised.

Selmak's fervent agreement swept through him. _Our determination only to take hosts who are willing is the thing that differentiates us from the Goa'uld. To ignore this even for survival_…Jacob felt Selmak's distaste and abject horror as though it were his own. He knew without a doubt that Selmak would die before taking an unwilling host. The thought comforted him.

_Samantha shows great strength of spirit in coming through her experience; it must have been extremely traumatic._ Selmak's admiration of his daughter had Jacob beaming.

_She's something,_ he thought proudly.

_Are all your people like you and your daughter?_ Selmak wondered. _So independent of thought and action?_

_I guess so,_ Jacob admitted ruefully.

Selmak chuckled. _It will be interesting to see what the rest make of us in time. We are not used to such humans as hosts,_ she revealed. _Our hosts are usually eager to be led a little their spirits are usually so weakened by the rule of the Goa'uld._

He felt the lingering grief Selmak felt at the death of her former host Saroosh. _Tell me about her,_ he encouraged impulsively.

Selmak's approval at his compassion warmed him and as she began to talk with fondness about her previous host, he felt himself agreeing with her earlier thought; they were going to make a great team.


	32. Lessons Learned

**Author's Note:** Hammond/Jack friendship. Jack/Daniel friendship. Sam/Teal'c friendship.

**Spirits Recap:** _SG1 are being briefed ahead of a rescue mission for SG11 who have gone missing while trying to mine for a newly discovered rare metal called trinium on PXY887. The Stargate activates and the iris is lowered when SG11's code is used. A metal arrow shoots out of the wormhole, breaks the observation window of the control room and hits Jack. With their team leader wounded, Sam takes over the command of the rescue mission. SG1 meet with Tonane from the Salish, descended from a Native American tribe from Earth. They manage to find SG11 after negotiating with the tribe's protective spirits, X'els and T'akaya, and Tonane agrees to come to Earth to discuss the various mining options. _

_On Earth, Tonane refuses to agree to the mining. As he is taken on a tour of the SGC, Hammond informs the rest of SG1 that he has orders to implement a NID suggestion to wait until the Salish migrate and then send a team to mine anyway. SG11 reveal themselves to be aliens, the tribes' spirits, and having overheard the plan, set about destroying the SGC. Eventually, Jack and Daniel manage to convince the aliens to leave the SGC, to bury their gate in order that Earth cannot return and to reveal their real nature to Tonane and his people._

**Lessons Learned**

'We got lucky, sir.' General Hammond stared up at the ceiling of his SGC office and gripped the red phone by his ear a little tighter. 'I don't think I need tell you what would have occurred if Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson hadn't been able to negotiate a peace with the aliens.' His lips pursed as he listened to the question at the other end. 'Well, sir, I think this just reinforces the need for us to act in an ethical manner in all our dealings with other planets at all times. We can never be truly certain if our actions are going undetected or not.'

Hammond rolled his eyes at an interruption by Senator Kinsey. 'With respect, Senator, Captain Carter had no reason to suspect SG11 were not SG11. Our medical tests confirmed their identities. She executed the mission she was assigned and there is absolutely no evidence that suggests she was aware of their deception.' He sighed. 'Mr President, as you know, Captain Carter was responsible for us making contact and establishing good relations with the Tok'ra a few weeks back who we believe could be an extremely powerful ally in time. The suggestion she is acting to undermine the mission of this facility just because of her previous experience with a Tok'ra symbiote is…thank you, Mr President.'

He rubbed his forehead tiredly as the politicians exchanged some sharp comments. He changed position, shifting to a more comfortable spot as another question came his way. 'No, Mr President. Unfortunately it doesn't look like we'll be able to establish any trade for the trinium. Colonel O'Neill reported that the aliens intend to bury their gate.' He reached for the cold coffee sat on his desk and took a gulp.

A suggestion to try and establish a wormhole had him swallowing the wrong way and it was with some difficulty he managed to recover to speak. 'I'm sorry but that is the craziest thing I've heard. Yes, actually I did mean that, General Bail, sir. The senator seems to forget that we only got out of this one by the skin of our teeth. If we give the aliens any reason to suspect we won't keep our word, I don't believe there is anything stopping them from carrying out their original intention.'

He gave a sigh of relief as the President agreed the senator's suggestion was not appropriate. A few moments later the call ended. Hammond thanked the President and the Joint Chiefs and dropped the phone back into its cradle. He rubbed the back of his neck where an ever present knot had taken up residence since he had miraculously appeared in the gate room with no idea how he had gotten there or where he had been…maybe the knot had appeared earlier he considered, when he had argued with SG1 about the plans to mine the trinium without the knowledge of the Salish people.

Guilt nibbled at the edges of his thoughts. _Hopefully, what they don't know, won't hurt them._ Had he really said those words? His cheeks flooded with a ruddy warmth that signalled the depths of his personal shame. What had he been thinking? He unconsciously thumped the table. Had he really been prepared to steal from the Salish? He sighed and got up from his desk to pace a little in the office as he considered his actions.

The last few months had been something of a nightmare from a command perspective. The initial euphoria at surviving the attack from the Goa'uld had given way to an increased sense of urgency for the Stargate programme to deliver tangible benefits; technologies and alliances that would help in the defence of Earth. The attack from Apophis had proven the threat from the Goa'uld was real, very real and it had scared everyone with any knowledge of the programme. Hell, Hammond thought tiredly, it had scared him if he were honest. He knew better than most just how close they had come to being annihilated and he also knew that they couldn't solely rely on the bravery and ingenuity of one team to save them. They needed weapons and they needed advanced technology; the metal ore trinium had been a great find; stronger and more durable than anything on Earth…

The sad truth was that he had been very tempted by the proposal to simply take the trinium when the Salish migrated from the mountain; tempted on two fronts, Hammond admitted to himself as he retook his seat. Tempted because it was a material he felt could help them tactically but tempted also because it would ease the immediate pressure on his command to come up with something else especially since the increased scrutiny of the NID had started to be felt a few months before.

Hammond picked up his coffee and finished the cold drink, uncaring about the lack of heat and bitter taste in his need for caffeine. The NID had become a thorn in his side ever since their suspected assassination of a young reporter who had threatened to reveal the presence of the Stargate. It had coincided with some political manoeuvrings which had made it difficult for the President to refuse Senator Kinsey's insistence that the NID be allowed more oversight and involvement. He grimaced. He had been unable to prevent Teal'c from being taken by Colonel Maybourne during a recent incident, and he suspected that Samantha Carter was still in danger despite her involvement in their only major success; the alliance with the Tok'ra.

Alliances. Hammond sighed. He wasn't unaware that they had mis-stepped badly with Tonane's people and the alien race who were their protectors. The powers the aliens had demonstrated…teleportation, healing and body-morphing were impressive. They were obviously advanced and had already banished the Goa'uld from Tonane's planet, saving his people. They could have been a valuable ally instead they had made them an enemy…

A knock on the office door leading to the corridor startled him and he took a moment to rearrange his files and settle back authoratively in his leather chair before he called for the unexpected visitor to enter. His pale blue eyes widened a little in surprise at the SG1 leader. The Colonel was still dressed in the plain green fatigues with his injured arm in a blue sling as he had been most of the day.

'Colonel O'Neill.'

'General.' Jack pushed the door closed behind him and pulled a folder from under his arm which he handed to Hammond. 'My recommendations for the outstanding SG team command positions, sir.'

Hammond took the folder and gestured for the younger man to sit. He flicked through it with interest. 'Henry Boyd?'

'Yes, sir.' Jack waved at him. 'He's got an impressive academic record which will help leading SG10 as they mostly deal with science…' he struggled to find a word, 'stuff.' He finished eventually. 'Hank's already had some command experience out in the field here on Earth and he's got a good record. I think he's ready.'

'Thank you, Colonel.' Hammond set the folder aside.

Jack stood up and hesitated. 'If I may ask, sir…'

Hammond looked at him inquisitively.

'I take it you've briefed the President and the Joint Chiefs on what happened earlier?' Jack asked delicately.

'I have.' Hammond confirmed. He cleared his throat. 'They've agreed in the circumstances that we would be best to forget about any further attempts to pursue the trinium.'

Jack nodded. 'I think that's for the best, General.'

Hammond waved him back into his seat and Jack sat down gratefully. 'I feel like I owe you and your team a personal apology on this one, Jack.'

The Colonel registered the lack of ranks and shrugged awkwardly. 'You thought what you were doing was for the best, sir.'

Hammond gave a short humourless laugh. 'I think you're letting me off the hook lightly. If it wasn't for you and your team…' he sighed. His eyes caught Jack's. 'Do you remember just after the business with Teal'c being on trial off-world, you and I sat out on your deck talking about how we wanted to do the right thing here on out?'

'I remember, sir.' Jack said quietly.

'I think you're probably doing a better job than I am at that right now.' Hammond admitted.

Jack appreciated the compliment even as he replied jokingly. 'Well, you don't hang around Daniel and Carter as much as I do, sir.'

The General laughed again but this time it was with genuine amusement.

'I also appreciate,' Jack continued more soberly, 'that my team is given a great deal of support and latitude.'

Hammond acknowledged the truth of that with a slight inclination of his head. 'You should give yourself more credit though, Jack. You did a great job today.'

Jack hesitated before he plunged on. 'General, I believe it was you who once told us we'd all make mistakes but the important thing was to learn from them.'

'So I did.' Hammond said lightly. He nodded. 'Point well made, Colonel.'

Jack noted the shift back to formality and stood up again. 'If that's all, sir?'

'Dismissed.' Hammond agreed. He watched the Colonel leave before he reached for the abandoned report on his desk. So he had made a mistake, Hammond mused contemplatively, but the Colonel was right; what mattered was that he learned from it.

o-O-o

Jack wandered out of the locker room struggling into his leather jacket as he made for the elevator. His brown eyes alighted with relief on Sam as he spotted her hurrying down the corridor towards him. 'Hey, Sam. Help me with this, will ya?'

She stopped and assisted him. His good arm went into the jacket but she let the other side hang down over his injured arm in its sling.

'Thanks.' Jack said gratefully.

'You off home, sir?' Sam inquired as she stepped back, clasping her hands behind her back in an unconscious mimic of their Jaffa team-mate. She'd been looking for the Colonel earlier to discuss the outcome of her first command mission but it looked like her plan to talk to him was going to have to wait.

'Yeah, Daniel offered to drive me.' Jack explained. 'I'm just on my way to his office to get him.' He caught the flicker of disappointment in her face. 'Why? Was there something you wanted me for?'

Sam opened her mouth to agree when her brain registered the faint white lines of tension that bracketed her CO's mouth and eyes. He had to be in a lot of pain from his injury, she realised belatedly, not to mention the events of the day had been extremely stressful and tiring. Her concerns about her performance could wait. She gave him a bright smile. 'It'll keep till tomorrow, sir.'

'You sure?' Jack asked inwardly pleased at her answer. The thought that there was a sofa and a beer with his name on it in his immediate future had been the only thing that had kept him going for the past few hours.

'Sure, sir.' Sam's eyes gleamed with amusement at the way he was already sidling past her. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

''Night, Carter!' Jack threw over his shoulder as he skipped into the elevator. He roused the archaeologist with difficulty from his office, but the two of them were soon on their way out of the mountain and it didn't take them long to reach Jack's house.

Daniel settled Jack on the sofa and hurried into the kitchen to grab a bottle of beer for the other man. Jack had been quiet the entire journey home from the SGC and, although the military man wasn't usually the most talkative of people, he had seemed even more subdued than usual. He flipped the top off with a bottle opener before heading back to give Jack his drink only to find him dry swallowing the painkillers Janet Fraiser had pressed on him.

'Are you OK?' Daniel asked worriedly.

'Fine.' Jack slung his legs up onto the sofa and closed his eyes. 'Thanks for driving me home.'

'Right.' Daniel gazed at his friend's prone form for a long moment. 'I'll…uh…just…' he gestured over his shoulder towards the door. He took a step and stopped. 'Jack.'

'Daniel.'

'Look, if something's bothering you…' Daniel began.

'I said I'm fine.' Jack bit out tiredly, swinging his legs back around to sit upright again.

Daniel took in the deep lines on Jack's face; the other man had to be in a lot of pain. 'OK. I'll get going then. I'll call for you in the morning.'

Jack glanced over at the archaeologist slowly backing out of the room. 'Daniel.'

'Yeah?' Daniel looked over at Jack.

Jack shrugged awkwardly. 'Want a pizza?'

'Pizza?' Daniel stepped back into the room and slipped into the chair opposite. 'Sure.'

Jack picked up the phone and speed-dialled his usual delivery place. It only took him a moment to place the order and he threw the phone back down on the coffee table as he resumed his previous position lying stretched out on the sofa.

'Did you see Sam before you left?' Daniel asked as they waited.

'Yeah. Why?' Jack answered, taking a long gulp of his beer.

'She was looking for you.' Daniel replied. 'I think she's worried about how her first command turned out.'

'Why?' asked Jack, genuinely taken aback. 'She did a great job.'

'I think it had something to do with bringing aliens back who almost destroyed the base.'

'Crap!' Jack closed his eyes briefly. So that was what she had wanted to talk to him about; he should have stayed and heard her out, he berated himself tiredly. 'It wasn't her fault,' he said out loud, 'there was no way she could have known the SG11 that came back were aliens. Hell, if I'd been leading the mission I would have done the same thing.'

'I think she just needs to hear that from you.' Daniel said quietly.

'I'll talk to her tomorrow.' Jack said. 'I wanted to say thanks to you by the way.'

'That's OK,' Daniel said, 'you've thanked me already and…'

'Not for driving me home.' Jack interrupted. 'For today. For being…' he waved the bottle at the younger man with his good hand, 'you.'

'OK.' Daniel said slowly. 'How many of those painkillers did you take?'

'Funny, Daniel.' Jack swallowed a gulp of his beer.

'What brought this on?' Daniel asked curious as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

'I just…Hammond reminded me of something when I went to see him earlier.' Jack admitted. 'You know there was a time when I did stuff I'm not particularly proud of.' His thumb ran over the foil label. 'But today…' he stopped unable to express how proud he felt about his achievement; their achievement. He sighed. 'We did good.'

Daniel smiled.

'Thanks to you.' Jack added.

'You're the one who convinced them in the end.' Daniel said generously. He sighed. 'I can't believe the Air Force thought they could get away with stealing the trinium.'

Jack felt his lips twitch at the younger man's blatant disbelief; the shocked innocence. 'Just promise me you won't stop being a pain in the butt.'

'Now I know you took too many painkillers.' Daniel said, staring at him with concern.

The doorbell rang.

'I'll get it.' Daniel said, leaping to his feet. He wandered to the door and paid for the delivery before returning to the living room. 'Jack, pizza's…' his eyes landed on the sleeping Colonel ruefully, 'here.'

o-O-o

Sam hovered for a moment in the corridor after the departure of her CO, unsure of her own plans. She should head home herself, she determined. Where she could brood for hours about the fact that she had brought a whole bunch of aliens back through the gate, the voice in her head muttered derisively. She turned and walked back to the elevator. The first set of data from their mission a few weeks before to PX7941 was back; she really should take a look at the findings…

She was immersed in the scientific reports when Teal'c found her a few hours later.

'Captain Carter.' The Jaffa's voice rumbled across the lab and Sam turned from her computer to find him filling her doorway and blocking most of the light from the corridor.

'Teal'c.' She smiled and waved at him to enter. 'You should see this data. It's from our mission to PX7941. This substantiates our suspicions that they do have some form of climate control.'

'That is indeed good news.' Teal'c murmured. He had enjoyed PX7941. It still surprised him when their arrival on a planet was greeted with joy and welcome rather than suspicion and fear. The Medronans had been friendly if a little naïve. 'I assume you intend to petition General Hammond to return to the planet?' He asked as he came to a stop beside her.

'If the rest of the data substantiates these early findings, yes.' Sam agreed. 'This piece of technology could be the most important find yet for the Stargate programme.'

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

Sam's brow creased. 'I'm sorry, Teal'c. You probably didn't come in here to hear me babble on about this stuff.' She gave an apologetic smile.

'On the contrary, Captain Carter, my visit was prompted by curiosity for your presence on the base at so late an hour.' Teal'c admitted. 'I see now why you elected to remain.'

'Ah.' Sam bit her lip as her cheeks reddened. 'Well, actually this was an excuse.'

His eyebrow rose again.

'I wanted to avoid going home and thinking about what happened with Tonane and his spirits.' Sam confessed her gaze on the keyboard of her computer.

'For what reason?' Teal'c asked, unsure why the topic would have distressed her given the successful outcome of events earlier that day.

Sam glanced up at his inquisitive eyes and sighed. 'Because I blew it.'

Teal'c frowned. 'Blew what, Captain Carter?'

'My first command.' Sam stated, looking away from him again and crossing her arms over her chest. 'I failed.'

'I do not agree with your assessment, Captain Carter.' Teal'c murmured. 'You acted most appropriately and to the best of your ability.'

'I brought aliens back through the gate who could have destroyed us, Teal'c.' Sam argued.

'There was no reason to assume that the SG11 we recovered on the planet were not who they claimed to be.' Teal'c rejoined. 'Did not Doctor Warner and the medical team agree that they were SG11?'

'I should have taken more precautions.' Sam muttered, unwilling to be mollified. 'I should have considered the possibility that Tonane's spirits were real.'

'There were no obvious signs to suggest that Tonane was not responsible for the disappearance of SG11, nor that there was an advanced civilisation existing alongside the Salish people. Neither I nor Daniel Jackson considered that possibility,' Teal'c pointed out, 'and was it not our job on the mission to inform and advise of you of potential threats?'

'I'm not blaming either of you guys.' Sam began. 'I led the team, Teal'c,' she said, 'I'm responsible for what happened.'

Teal'c fell silent for a moment while he considered his reply. Eventually he shifted position a little and held his female team-mate's eyes firmly. 'Do you believe Colonel O'Neill to be a good leader?'

'Of course.' Sam replied automatically. 'He's a great leader.'

'And General Hammond?' Teal'c pressed.

Sam nodded.

'Yet O'Neill and General Hammond have made mistakes, have they not?' Teal'c stated quietly.

Sam sighed. 'I know what you're trying to do, Teal'c, and I appreciate the thought but…'

'I believe you have good potential as a leader, Captain Carter.' Teal'c said forcefully cutting across her. 'If I did not believe so, I would not have been prepared to follow your lead on our mission.'

Sam warmed at the sincere praise. 'Really?'

'Indeed.' Teal'c said simply.

'Thanks, Teal'c.' Sam said gratefully. Her eyes narrowed on him. 'You know I forget how strange it must be for you. I mean, you led whole armies of Jaffa and now…' she gestured at him, 'you could lead your own team.' She frowned. 'You should at least be considered to lead SG1 when Colonel O'Neill is injured.'

He almost smiled at her fervent defence of his abilities. 'I am satisfied to remain a member of SG1 and fight at your side and that of Daniel Jackson and Colonel O'Neill.'

'Do you miss it?' Sam asked impulsively. 'Having command?'

Teal'c's face grew grave. 'No. I do not. As First Prime I may have led armies but I was still a slave. Here, I am free.'

Sam nodded and impulsively took hold of his hand. 'Well, I'm glad you're here, Teal'c.'

Teal'c gently squeezed her hand in reply. 'As am I, Captain Carter, as am I.'


	33. Rats

**Author's Note:** Hammond/Jack friendship. Jack/Team friendship.

**Touchstone Recap:** _SG1 get permission to study the 'Touchstone', a device that acts as a weather controller on the planet of Medrona. They are greeted by the High Priest and the princess who accuse SG1 of stealing the Touchstone. Eventually, the team manage to convince them that they didn't steal the device but, understanding that a team similar to them did, they return home to try and understand what happened. Hammond denies any knowledge of another team going through the Gate to get the touchstone to O'Neill but gives him permission to investigate the logs. _

_They discover that the second gate has been used and television news of strange weather disturbances indicates that the weather device is on Earth. A trip to Area 51 and a run-in with Colonel Maybourne reveals the Antarctica Gate is missing. Sam comes up with a way to track the second gate. They manage to locate it in Southern Utah and receive permission from Hammond to get the device and recover the Gate. They return the device to the grateful Medronans and return to Earth to watch the second Gate being permanently sealed with an iris; it will be guarded by the SGC going forward but Maybourne warns Jack that artefacts get misplaced. _

**Rats**

The pounding on the front door roused Jack O'Neill from sleep. He raised his head as though momentarily confused and the dull sound came again.

'OK, OK.' He muttered grumpily pushing back the covers and staggering from the bed. 'I'm coming.' He yanked the door open with more force than normal and blinked through the harsh sunlight at the sight of his CO, dressed in civvies and looking as uncomfortable as Jack felt.

'Sir.' Jack rubbed a hand through his ruffled greying hair, messing it up even further. He tried to pull his thoughts together as he stared uncomprehendingly at General Hammond.

'May I come in?' Hammond asked politely.

'Of course.' Jack automatically stood back and let the other man inside. He closed the door, trying not to feel exposed in his sleepwear of boxers and t-shirt.

Hammond wandered down into the living area and stood awkwardly in the centre of the room. His pale blues eyes glanced off the various take-away boxes, beer bottles and dirty coffee mugs.

'I'm sorry, sir. I wasn't expecting company.' Jack said as he hurried forward to clear up the mess.

'Don't clean up on my account.' Hammond said easily. He gestured at Jack. 'I'm sorry to disturb you but I needed to talk to you away from the base.'

'No problem, sir.' Jack plucked at his t-shirt.

Hammond suppressed the urge to smile. 'Why don't you get showered and dressed while I see about rustling us up some breakfast?'

Jack's eyebrows rose. 'Well, if you're sure, sir.' he was already backing out of the room.

The General ushered him out the rest of the way and as Jack disappeared back along the corridor, Hammond reviewed the living area with a sinking feeling of dismay. He lugged the pizza boxes and Chinese cartons into the kitchen and threw them in the trash; a second trip had the beer bottles thrown in a box ready for recycling. He returned for the mugs and thrust them in the sink before he turned his attention to the matter of breakfast.

His first task was to set a coffee pot on the go before he searched for food. He opened the refrigerator and peered with concern at the meagre contents. He pursed his lips. Did the man live on anything other than beer and pizza? He reached for the eggs and checked the date. Eggs, it was. A further hunt unburied some bread which he set about toasting while he scrambled the eggs in a pan. By the time Jack arrived in the kitchen, showered, shaved and dressed in a clean sweater and jeans, Hammond was serving up.

'I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of setting the table in the dining room.' Hammond said, handing the younger man a mug of steaming coffee and a plate of food.

Jack took the drink grateful and bemused, as Hammond picked up his own plate and led the way through to the table. Jack's stomach rumbled appreciatively as they took their seats. 'This looks great, sir.'

'I've told you before, Jack, you can call me George off the base.' Hammond said.

'I've tried, sir,' Jack replied, 'and I say George in my head but sir seems to come out of my mouth.' He waved his fork at Hammond and shrugged expressively.

Hammond gave a short laugh and concentrated on his food. He waited until Jack had completed his breakfast before he picked up his own mug and wondered how he broached the subject he had come to discuss.

'So,' Jack began as he pushed his plate away, 'not that this hasn't been good, sir, but may I ask…'

'Why I've turned up on your doorstep so early in the morning?' Hammond completed. He sighed and lowered his mug. 'I've been thinking about what happened with the Medronan Touchstone and the Antarctica gate ever since we got back from Area 51 yesterday.'

'Ah. That.' Jack leaned back in the dining chair and reviewed Hammond's sober expression. 'We have a rat at the SGC.'

Hammond nodded. 'That's my conclusion.'

Jack sighed and fingered his mug. 'Any ideas, sir?'

'A few theories, nothing substantial.' Hammond admitted. 'You?'

'I figure it has to be someone who has intimate knowledge of the gate schedule and the mission reports of all the SG teams.' Jack said firmly. 'The first so they can tell the rogue team when to travel and the second where to go and what to steal.' He leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table.

'Exactly.' Hammond shifted position a little. 'Now the way I figure it. There's only a small group of people with that specific knowledge.'

'The SG team leaders,' Jack surmised, 'and the rest of my team.'

'Well, I think in the circumstances we can rule out your team.' Hammond said. 'But, with the open positions, that leaves us with seven suspects excluding yourself.'

Jack shook his head and rubbed the table absently with a finger. 'I just find it hard to believe any of these guys would sell us out.'

'Yet one of them obviously has.' Hammond said sadly.

'What do you want to do, sir?'

'We need to keep our eyes and ears open, Colonel.' Hammond sighed. 'Find out which one is responsible for what happened, and then watch them.'

Jack regarded Hammond soberly. 'You don't want them out of the SGC?'

'If we find out who it is right now and remove them, we lose any advantage we have.' Hammond pointed out. His blue eyes pinned the Colonel. 'I want them, Jack, but I want who they're working for more.'

Jack nodded. 'I understand, sir. I'll inform my team…'

'No.' Hammond shook his head. 'I need this kept between us, and that is an order, Colonel.'

The younger man stared at him truly taken aback. 'Sir?'

'You know I have the highest respect for you and your team,' he held up a hand when Jack would have interrupted him, 'but the fact is that this is a risky situation. We can't afford for the spy, whoever he is, to become aware that we suspect him.' He took a breath. 'Neither Doctor Jackson nor Captain Carter are particularly good at hiding their feelings or their thoughts at times.'

'I think you're underestimating them, General,' Jack said forcefully, 'and I think you're forgetting one thing.'

'And that would be?' Hammond prompted.

'That if we worked it out, they sure as hell are going to;' Jack pointed out, 'both of them are way smarter than we are.'

Hammond was silent for a long moment as he absorbed the truth of that. He took a gulp of his coffee as he collected his thoughts. Finally, he shook his head. 'I can't risk it.' He caught Jack's gaze. 'Even if I accepted, Colonel, that they may be able to handle the deception required to pretend to be absolutely natural with a colleague they suspect of being a traitor, the fact is that to ask them to do so is tantamount to putting them in the firing line. Same with Teal'c.'

Jack's eyebrows shot up. 'My team risk their lives every time they step through the gate, sir.'

'I don't think I have to remind you that this civilian operation has already proven itself adept at assassination, Colonel.' Hammond rejoined.

The memory of the blood of a reporter staining his hands had Jack considering his superior officer seriously. 'You think the NID is that in on it, sir?'

'Don't you?' Hammond gestured at him with the mug. 'I saw you approaching Maybourne.'

Jack sighed, disgusted. He slumped back in his chair as he weighed up the value of keeping his team in the dark and keeping them safe. He knew the General was right in many ways: Teal'c wasn't even from Earth and it was a big ask for them to expect him to risk his life on something that was primarily their internal politics; Daniel and Carter both had a tendency to wear their hearts on their sleeves so if they had to act normally around someone who they knew to be corrupt…he sighed, his decision made. 'They won't accept it being dropped just like that.' He said eventually. 'They'll ask questions; that's what they do.'

'What do you suggest?' Hammond asked, gesturing at him.

'A distraction.' Jack shook his head and closed his eyes briefly, unable to believe he was about to suggest what he was about to suggest. 'If they get another mission they can get their teeth into…' he shrugged.

'I think I have the very planet.' Hammond said with a smile.

Jack picked up his coffee and took a long gulp; he figured he was going to need the fortitude. 'Somehow I had a feeling you were going to say that, sir.'

o-O-o

'This is incredible!' Daniel Jackson waved his hands around the shadowy temple chamber with relish.

Samantha Carter smiled at her eager team-mate as she shrugged off her back-pack and pulled off her drenched anorak. She held the wet garment with a wrinkled nose. It had been a long walk through the teeming rain to the temple and she felt damp everywhere. A noise by the entrance had her reaching for her gun and she had it aimed just as the rest of their team entered. She lowered it with a nod at the Colonel.

'Well, there's nothing out there.' Jack said, taking his cap off and shaking it vigorously.

Droplets of water sprayed onto Teal'c who regarded him gravely before taking a step away from him, very precisely.

'Nothing but rain and mud.' Jack muttered as he slapped his cap back over his messed-up hair. His eyes landed on Daniel who was already scribbling into his notebook and muttering at a wall. The archaeologist hadn't taken off his anorak or removed his hat. Jack sighed and transferred his gaze to Sam. 'What have you got, Captain?'

'Daniel thinks the markings are incredible, sir.' Sam said with a smile.

'Incredible, huh?' Jack sighed. 'You want to expand on that, Daniel?'

Daniel muttered under his breath and continued scribbling.

'Daniel!' Jack snapped.

Daniel whirled around, his blue eyes wide with surprise behind his glasses. 'Huh?'

Jack waved at the wall. 'Is this something worth staying for, Daniel?'

'Well, of course…' Daniel began.

'Let me rephrase that.' Jack said hurriedly. 'Is there anything of value that we can use in our fight against the Goa'uld?'

Daniel smirked at him. 'Actually, I think there is.'

'Really?' Jack blurted out, genuinely surprised. The initial reconnaissance reports had been very vague on the relative value of the temple.

'I think these markings here,' Daniel turned back to the wall and gestured at a row of symbols, 'are referring to some kind of weapon.' He screwed his face up. 'Either that or some kind of mammal…this symbol is very faded.'

'I am picking up the energy reading that SG5 reported on the initial reconnaissance.' Sam murmured, adjusting the gadget in her hand and moving to stand by Daniel. 'It could be related.'

'Great.' Jack sighed heavily. 'OK, you guys stay here; do your thing. Teal'c and I will take guard duty outside. Check in every fifteen minutes.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam replied absently, her mind was already focused on the problem of tracking the energy.

Daniel didn't bother replying; his head was buried in his notebook again.

Jack glanced knowingly across at Teal'c and the two of them headed back out to the front of the temple. The two of them took up positions at the top of the steps but just inside the covered veranda that fronted the temple. It provided them with cover from the unending rain and gave them a good view of the processional walk that linked the Stargate to the temple; two kilometres of overgrown pathway edged with the crumbled monuments of some animal that was no longer recognisable. Jack had been on enough planets to determine that the temple and planet were long abandoned without needing the expert opinion of an archaeologist. He glanced around at the decaying edifice and shivered.

Teal'c noticed the Colonel's discomfort and frowned a little. 'Are you cold, O'Neill?'

'No.' Jack shot back. 'No. Just…' he sighed and tightened his hold on his gun, 'this place creeps me out.'

'For what reason?' Teal'c asked, reviewing their surroundings to see if there was something he missed.

'I don't know.' Jack admitted. 'Doesn't it creep you out?'

'It does not.' Teal'c said firmly.

'Of course not.' Jack muttered. He let his gaze drift to the forest and narrowed on the murky green canopy. He glanced at his watch; time to check on the geeks. His hand was just above his radio when it crackled.

'Sir, we think there may be a hidden room somewhere in the temple.' Sam's voice said calmly. 'We're trying to pin down its location now.'

'OK, Captain. Proceed with caution.' Jack replied back.

'Yes, sir. Carter out.'

Jack's attention moved back to the landscape. Hammond had been right about the planet, he mused with chagrin. It was perfect for Daniel and Sam. Abandoned temple; unexplained energy readings; hidden chambers. So what if it creeped him out? At least they weren't thinking about the business with the Medronan Touchstone anymore. He sighed deeply. He couldn't believe that any of the other SG team leaders was responsible for giving the rogue team intelligence but someone must have done it.

Seven possible suspects.

Jack had already ruled three of those out in his head; Lou Ferretti was solid and loyal to Hammond and the SGC. There was no way Ferretti was responsible. He couldn't see the SG9 leader handing over details to a rogue operation either. The Major was a big advocate of legal and diplomatic solutions; he didn't fit the profile of someone who wanted to push for direct action. The same couldn't be said for Captain Connor, the leader of SG11, but he had been away on leave for the past month after being injured. That left four suspects.

Jack figured whoever it was would maintain contact with the rogue team, or maybe Maybourne, and that had to be the way they could trip them up. He hoped it was Maybourne. He would love the excuse to take out the slimy, two-faced bastard.

'At what are you glowering at so fiercely, O'Neill?' Teal'c asked.

'Maybourne.' Jack admitted.

Teal'c frowned; the Stargate had not activated. 'I do not see him.'

'I was glowering at the thought of him.' Jack explained a little impatiently. 'He's not actually here.'

'A pity.' Teal'c murmured.

His tone caught Jack's attention. 'I guess you were serious about that dismemberment thing.'

'I was.' Teal'c agreed. 'He wanted me to transform into a bug.'

'Several bugs.' Jack quipped. 'You were actually going to transform into several bugs.'

Teal'c arched his eyebrow and Jack hastily dropped his amused gaze.

'I have killed men for less.' Teal'c growled.

'Yeah, I'd like to shoot him too.' Jack said with a sigh.

'Perhaps I was not referring to Colonel Maybourne.' Teal'c murmured.

Jack's gaze snapped to him. 'That was a joke, right?'

Teal'c turned back to the view and his face softened into smug satisfaction at Jack's uncertain tone. 'Indeed.'

'Funny.' Jack muttered. He glanced at his watch and sighed. He hit the radio button forcefully. 'Carter…'

'Sorry, sir. We got a little distracted.' Sam replied quickly. 'We're still looking for the hidden room.'

'Keep me apprised.' Jack said testily. 'O'Neill out.' He shifted his weight and altered the angle of his gun as he settled back into position. His mind drifted back to his previous musings and Maybourne…

'You are thinking about Colonel Maybourne once again.' Teal'c surmised.

'Yeah.' Jack murmured without heat.

Teal'c gazed over at his Tau'ri friend for a long moment before his gaze slipped back to the distant Stargate. 'As the First Prime of Apophis I was often tasked with assignments that were to remain secret from the other Jaffa.'

Jack's eyes shot to the Jaffa, alarmed.

'Especially in issues of internal security.' Teal'c turned his head and met Jack's gaze head on momentarily; his own dark eyes were guarded. 'It was my burden to bear these assignments alone.'

'Teal'c…' Jack began hesitantly.

'Should you ever need assistance, O'Neill,' Teal'c continued, talking over him, 'I am yours to call upon.'

Jack absorbed the Jaffa's words and nodded slowly, before turning away from him. 'You're a good man, my friend.'

'As are you, O'Neill.' Teal'c inclined his head.

o-O-o

'We've gone over this section twice now, Daniel.' Sam looked up at the wall with her hands on her hips. She rubbed her forehead tiredly. 'I don't think the entrance is here.'

'It has to be here.' Daniel insisted. 'The symbols said behind the altar.' He waved a hand at the slab of stone behind them. 'And your energy readings confirmed it. It has to be here.'

Sam was about to argue when her eyes caught on something; a thin line bisecting through the dust. She stepped up to it and ran her finger down it. 'I think I have something.'

'You've found the doorway!' Daniel exclaimed excitedly. He threw down his notebook and hurried over to help her dust off the tiny cracks. 'Now we just need to find the mechanism to open it.' He muttered as he used a brush to wipe away the dirt.

Sam stepped back and sighed. She checked her watch and decided it might be prudent to check in with the Colonel before he contacted her again. She flicked the button. 'Colonel, come in, please.'

'Here, Carter.' Jack's voice crackled out, confident and reassuring, from the radio.

'Sir, we've found the doorway to the hidden chamber but we're having trouble finding the mechanism to open it.' Sam reported.

'How much more time do you need?' Jack asked.

'It's hard to say.' Daniel jumped in before Sam could answer. 'They didn't really leave instructions on how to open their hidden chamber.'

'That's very inconsiderate of them, Daniel.' Jack responded mockingly. 'You have an hour.'

'Jack, that isn't enough time.' Daniel objected.

'Then you'd best get started. O'Neill out.'

Daniel glared at his radio in the absence of the military man.

Sam patted his arm comfortingly. 'Come on, Daniel. How hard can this be anyway?'

He sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. 'You have an idea?'

'Well, there are no obvious levers on the wall or the altar,' Sam pointed out, 'so I'm thinking this has to be a simple opening mechanism.' She started to tap around the doorway.

'I'll…uh…see if I can find anything out from the writing on the wall.' Daniel said.

'Just in case they left instructions?' Sam asked teasingly. She glanced over at him and he pulled a face at her.

'I'm actually amazed we've found something here at all.' Daniel said absently, as he reviewed the symbols on the far wall.

'I thought the initial surveys showed there was writing.' Sam said, not fully concentrating, her attention on the doorway.

'No, I mean, well…' he looked over at her, 'I kind of got the impression coming here was meant to be a distraction.'

Sam stopped tapping the doorway and turned to him with a frown. 'Distraction?'

'You know from…' Daniel waggled his eyebrows at her, 'everything that just happened with the Touchstone.'

'Oh.' Sam returned to her task.

'Didn't you think that?' Daniel probed gently, his blue eyes curious.

'I guess.' Sam sighed. She hit a spot on the doorway and frowned at the hollow sound.

'Aren't you curious?' Daniel wandered over and leaned against the wall beside Sam.

'About the hidden chamber? Sure.' Sam responded.

'No, about why they wanted us distracted.' Daniel adjusted his glasses and folded his arms.

'I'm sure they have their reasons, Daniel.' Sam said patiently.

'How can you just accept that?' Daniel demanded.

Sam gave him a quick smile. 'Years of living with my father.' She gestured at him. 'And because I'm a military officer and if my chain of command doesn't want me involved then I'm not involved.' She hit the doorway with possibly more force than necessary.

Daniel raised his eyebrows. 'Right.' He caught her chiding look and held it. 'So what do you think they don't want us to know?'

'Daniel.' Sam said warningly.

'I was thinking about the travel through the second gate,' Daniel said quickly, 'and the way it was timed so exactly with the SGC gate travel to hide the power signature. Someone had to be feeding the rogue team that information.' He rubbed his elbows a little. 'There's someone involved working at the SGC.'

Sam bit her lip and sighed; she'd come to the same conclusion herself. 'I know.'

'So if you know…'

'I figure General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill worked it out too,' Sam interrupted him, 'and there's only one reason why they would want to keep it quiet.'

'They want to catch whoever did it.' Daniel concluded.

Sam nodded. 'Not just that person but whoever they're working for.'

'They want Mr Big.' Daniel concluded.

'But that might mean that they need to leave whoever is working at the SGC in place until they get enough evidence,' Sam mused thoughtfully, 'which is why they don't want us involved.'

'You've lost me.' Daniel said.

'Well, say you knew the spy was…I don't know…Captain Connor,' Sam began.

'You think it's Connor?' Daniel's surprise was evident. 'Because I was thinking he's been out on leave for a month so…'

'No,' Sam retorted, 'I'm just using him as an example.'

'OK.'

'But say it was and you had to go on a mission with him. How would you act around him?' Sam finished.

Daniel opened his mouth to argue and stopped. He sighed. 'I see your point.' He sighed in frustration. 'But why doesn't Jack just tell us that instead of all this cloak and dagger stuff?'

Sam shrugged. 'I don't know, Daniel, but I don't think it was completely his choice.' She struck another section of doorway and it suddenly moved inward.

The two of them stared at the opening.

'Wow.' Sam said. 'I can't believe that worked.' She reached for her gun and flicked the light on. 'There are steps leading downwards.' She reached for her radio as Daniel packed up their things and placed the packs against the wall. 'Colonel, come in, please.'

'O'Neill here. What have you got, Captain?'

'We've found the doorway to the chamber, sir. There are steps leading downwards.' Sam reported crisply.

'Stay put. Teal'c and I are on our way.'

Sam grabbed hold of Daniel as he went to make for the doorway. 'He said to wait for them.'

Daniel sighed heavily and he was practically hopping with impatience by the time Jack and Teal'c entered the temple.

Jack peeked down the dark stairway. 'Carter, you and I will go down first, clear the area.' He caught Daniel's unhappy expression. 'As soon as we say it's OK, you can come down.'

Daniel scowled but nodded.

Sam and Jack made their way cautiously down the stairway into the inner chamber of the temple. Their lights swept across the dank, dark space.

Jack's nose wrinkled. 'What the hell is that?'

Sam's beam swept the floor. 'Faeces, sir.'

'Nice.'

The lights hit on tables, equipment and several open steel cages.

'This looks like some kind of lab.' Sam theorised out loud. She frowned and made her way to a panel on the wall. 'This looks like the source of the energy reading I was picking up earlier.'

'What is it?' Jack asked.

Sam's frown deepened. 'I think it was a security system, sir, for the cages.' She gestured with her gun at the open doors. 'I think this was some kind of animal experimentation lab.'

'What kind of animal?' Jack demanded.

'I don't know, sir.' Sam admitted. 'But these cages are pretty big.'

Jack opened his mouth to reply when the sound of scrabbling on the dirt floor stilled him. 'Do you hear that, Carter?'

'Yes, sir.' Sam aimed her light over to the Colonel's left to a passageway just beyond his shoulder. 'It's coming from over there.'

They moved forward cautiously and Jack signalled for her to sweep the corridor low while he went high. They both froze. The light landed on a group of rats. Big rats. Rats the size of small dogs. For a moment, rats and humans stared at each other unblinkingly.

'Let's get out of here.' Jack ordered brusquely.

Sam turned and ran for the stairs; Jack was right behind her. He fired his weapon at the ground as a wave of rats attempted to follow them. They shoved the door back into place hurriedly.

'We're leaving.' Jack said breathlessly.

'What's going on?' Daniel asked passionately as he followed Jack out of the temple and into the rain.

'You know that word you thought was weapon?' Jack asked. 'It turns out it was mammal.'

'How do you know?' Daniel asked as he shrugged on his backpack and made his way down the steps beside his friend.

'There are rats in the basement.' Jack said grimly. 'Big rats.'

They made their way back to the Stargate swiftly. No one wanted to stay on the wet and dismal planet another moment longer. Daniel dialled the DHD home and as Sam confirmed the IDC, Teal'c disappeared into the blue puddle.

Daniel paused by Jack as he drew level to him. 'It's a shame about the rats.' The archaeologist said hesitantly.

'Yeah.' Jack agreed cautiously.

'I guess we can't remove them,' Daniel said slowly, 'and if we can't remove them, there's not much I can do; I get that.'

Jack stared at him.

'I…uh…just wanted you to know.' Daniel made to step into the wormhole and stopped as Jack's hand landed on his shoulder.

'Daniel.'

'It's OK, Jack.' Daniel smiled at him reassuringly. 'Really.' He pulled away and disappeared into the wormhole.

Jack winced and looked heavenward. His gaze landed on Sam. 'You got something to say too, Captain?' He asked roughly.

'No, sir, just…' Sam's chin went up, 'I'm ready and awaiting your order, sir.'

He stared at her understanding the underlying message; she knew he had orders and she would wait for hers. For a long moment their eyes held. Finally, Sam gestured at the shimmering blue horizon. 'Sir?'

He jerked his head in answer to her unspoken question and she stepped in, the wormhole swallowing her up.

Jack took a moment. He was torn between being amused at the disaster the planet had been as a distraction for Daniel and Sam yet curiously happy; they knew and understood the situation – as did Teal'c. More than that, they understood and would be there for him if he needed them. He felt a warm glow despite the cold rain that continued to fall upon him.

He followed his team home.


	34. A Step in the Right Direction

**Author's Note:** Jack/Team friendship. Mild Sam/Jack.

**The Fifth Race Recap:** _The team go on a mission to a planet that displays writing which matches one of the languages at Heliopolis (where Ernest was stranded). At first it looks like an empty room but when Jack steps over a circle, a strange device extends from a wall. Teal'c looks into it without any effect but when Jack does the same, it grabs him. He sinks to the floor unconscious. The team take him home where he regains consciousness. He starts to exhibit strange behaviour, speaking strange words and eventually being able to speak the strange alien language. Daniel theorises that the device downloaded the information into Jack's head. _

_Unfortunately, Jack continues to act strangely; he loses the ability to speak in English, updates the computer with new Stargate addresses, writes strange equations and starts to build a strange device. When they find another planet with the writing Sam and Teal'c go to it hoping to find something to help Jack, while Daniel remains behind as he is the only one who understands Jack. Sam and Teal'c get stranded and only Jack's newfound abilities save them as he draws the DHD designs and instructions on how to fix it. Eventually, he attaches the device he has built to the power supply and dials the gate using eight symbols. He goes through alone and meets the Asgard. They help remove the information from his brain and return him to normal. They admit they were once part of an alliance of four races: the Asgard, the Nox, the Furlings and the Ancients. Humans have taken their first steps to becoming the Fifth Race. Jack returns home buoyed by his meeting._

**A Step in the Right Direction**

Janet Fraiser shook her head and made a notation in the file in front of her.

'So what's the verdict, Doc?'

Colonel Jack O'Neill's cheery question had her turning to the smiling military officer with a sigh. 'As far as I can tell, Colonel, the memory loss aside, you seem to be back to normal.' His results had indicated that the effects of the device that had caused him to behave so abnormally had disappeared. She shook her head in disbelief.

'Excellent.' Jack jumped off the infirmary bed as though to leave.

'But,' Janet raised her voice slightly and stopped him in his tracks, 'I want you to remain on base tonight so we can monitor your condition.'

'Doc…'

'That's an order, Colonel.' Janet insisted, holding his annoyed brown eyes with her own for a long moment until he nodded in acknowledgement. She slid her gaze to the two men standing beside him. 'It would be good if one of you could stay with him.'

'Sure.' Daniel Jackson instantly responded, folding his arms around his torso as he nodded enthusiastically. The Jaffa beside him was slightly more subdued giving his agreement with a slow inclination of his bald head.

Janet suppressed the relieved sigh and tapped her folder sharply as her gaze returned to the Colonel. 'It's purely precautionary, Colonel, just in case whatever these aliens did to you was temporary.'

The light in Jack's eyes dimmed a little as he assimilated her concern. 'Right. Better safe than sorry, huh?'

'Come back and see me in the morning, Colonel. If everything checks out, you'll be back on duty.' Janet held his gaze again until she got a grudging agreement.

The Colonel headed out of the infirmary and Daniel threw Janet an apologetic look before he and Teal'c followed their friend. They found him paused outside in the corridor as though uncertain as to his direction.

'You OK, Jack?' Daniel asked worriedly.

'Yeah.' Jack shoved his hands in his pockets. 'Lunch?'

'Actually, it's closer to dinner.' Daniel said carefully, glancing at his watch.

'Dinner then.' Jack said, impatiently. He wheeled around and strode away from them.

It wasn't too long before they all sat at their usual table in the commissary, plates of food in front of them.

Jack cleared his throat. 'Where's Carter?' He asked casually as though he had only just realised that the Captain who was the fourth member of their team was missing; he had actually noticed her absence as soon as he had walked onto the ramp in the gate room.

'Hammond has her checking what you did with the computer when you were…you know.' Daniel said, waving his knife at the Colonel. 'I think that's why he delayed the briefing until tomorrow too.'

'Ah.' Jack shovelled another forkful of meatloaf into his mouth. 'So what happened exactly while I was…' he waved his own knife in an imitation of the archaeologist, 'you know.'

'Don't you remember anything?' Daniel asked.

'I vaguely remember sparring with Teal'c,' Jack's eyes flickered to the Jaffa who inclined his head in acknowledgement, 'and then…nothing until I…uh…found myself talking to the little grey guys.'

'Nothing?' Daniel repeated.

'Nothing.' Jack confirmed.

'Wow.' Daniel shook his head. 'That's incredible.'

'So what happened?' Jack asked with annoyance.

'The information in your brain slowly eroded your ability to communicate with us until you constructed a device that allowed you to connect a wormhole to the Asgard, O'Neill.' Teal'c said calmly.

'I know _that_,' Jack said frustrated, 'I meant, what exactly happened?'

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a look. Teal'c stuffed a large amount of food in his mouth and Daniel sighed as he realised the Jaffa had left him to respond to their team-leader.

'Well, as you know you started to speak Ancient.' Daniel said. 'You translated the circle on the floor of the room we were in.'

'I did?' Jack frowned. 'What did it say?'

'Place of our legacy.' Daniel said, around a mouthful of chicken casserole. 'We think the device was an Ancient repository of information, kind of a database where they stored all their knowledge.' He pushed some food onto his fork. 'There must be so much we could learn from it.'

'Our brains aren't ready.' Jack pointed his fork at the younger man. 'So don't even think what I know you're thinking.'

Daniel blinked at him. 'I'm not thinking anything.' He denied.

'Yes, you are.' Jack responded.

'No, I'm not.' Daniel immediately retorted.

'You are.' Jack shot back.

'Am not.'

'Are.'

'Not.'

The two men glared at each other.

'Daniel, you can't tell me that the thought of going back to P3R…whatever and downloading all that stuff into your head hasn't crossed your mind.' Jack said forcefully.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably on his chair. He waved his fork at the other man. 'We are talking about the knowledge of the Ancients here, Jack, the Gate-builders.'

'Nobody is sticking their heads into one of those things again.' Jack insisted. 'It almost killed me.'

'But in the meantime you helped me translate the Ancient language, downloaded a lot of additional Stargate addresses into the computer, came up with a revolutionary equation to help with the Doppler shift calculations and Macgyvered some kind of energy device.' Daniel said passionately.

Jack shook his head dismissively. 'We don't know for certain that I didn't damage the computer.' He looked down at his plate. 'I'm sure that's why Hammond has Carter checking.'

Daniel caught Jack's gaze. 'I think everything you did was an attempt to help us in some way.' He gestured at him. 'You saved Sam and Teal'c.'

'I did?' Jack was taken aback.

'You did, O'Neill.' Teal'c confirmed.

'They went to P9Q281 trying to get you some help but there was a problem with the DHD.' Daniel explained.

'We would have died without your assistance, O'Neill.' Teal'c added.

'You drew detailed instructions for Sam to fix it.' Daniel expanded.

Jack swallowed the food that had turned to sawdust in his mouth and reached for his glass of water. 'You guys almost died?'

'Indeed.' Teal'c nodded sagely. 'There was a second sun that was not immediately apparent and the planet became uncomfortably warm.' He paused. 'Captain Carter was most affected.'

'But she's OK?' Jack checked. Sam was a typical blonde; she burned easily.

'She's fine.' Daniel said nodding. 'She's a little sun-burnt.'

'So why aren't you sun-burnt?' Jack wondered out loud staring at the archaeologist. 'You usually burn just as much as Carter.'

'I…uh…I didn't go.' Daniel admitted, looking down at his empty plate.

'Daniel Jackson refused to leave your side, O'Neill.' Teal'c said.

Jack's eyes widened and he looked over at the younger man who was turning an interesting shade of red. 'Really?' He drawled the word, amused at how Daniel was avoiding his gaze.

'You were speaking Ancient.' Daniel muttered. 'I was the only one who could understand you.'

The Colonel was silent for a moment. 'I appreciate it, Daniel.'

Daniel's gaze jerked upward to collide with Jack's. The evident sincerity there had him turning a deeper shade of red but he nodded in acknowledgement of the other man's gratitude.

Teal'c hid a smile of satisfaction.

'I guess I owe you all some thanks.' Jack said, turning his attention to the Jaffa.

'No thanks are necessary, O'Neill.' Teal'c stated firmly. 'We were unable to assist you.'

'Teal'c's right.' Daniel said, happily moving the conversation onwards. 'You really saved yourself.'

'Yes, well…' Jack shrugged. He didn't remember any of it.

'So what was it like?' Daniel asked, leaning forward over the table eagerly, his shirt perilously close to his plate.

'What was what like?' Jack asked, uncertain what Daniel was asking exactly.

'The planet you went to.' Daniel expanded. 'What was it like?'

'Well, I didn't really get an opportunity to go outside and take a look around.' Jack responded. He pushed his main course away and reached for the dish of red jello he had picked.

'The gate was inside?' Daniel nudged his glasses back up his nose.

'Yeah.' Jack nodded and waved a spoonful of the red wobbly dessert at his friend. 'Now that was an odd place.'

Daniel's eyes widened. 'I wish I could have seen it.'

'I think I surprised the heck out of the Asgard as it was, Daniel.' Jack confessed. 'I don't think they're used to humans flying through their gate and pleading to be saved every day.'

'But you talked to them, right?' Daniel checked. 'After they…fixed you.'

'Right.' Jack shoved a large spoonful of jello in his mouth.

'So what did they say?' Daniel asked exasperated.

'I too am curious, O'Neill.' Teal'c added encouragingly.

Jack swallowed and sighed. 'They explained they've been to Earth and have watched us; that's why they knew our brains weren't ready for that device thing.'

'Well, we kind of knew that already.' Daniel said disappointed. 'I mean, about them coming to Earth.'

'They also confirmed the alliance thing.' Jack said. 'Apparently they were allied with three other races.' He scooped up more jello and missed seeing Daniel's expression brighten. 'The Nox, these Ancient guys and some race called the Furlings.'

'Wow.' Daniel took a sip of water. 'So who are the Furlings?'

'How should I know?' Jack said impatiently. 'I'm just telling you what they said.'

'They must be another advanced race.' Teal'c mused. 'I have not heard of them.'

Daniel sighed. 'Did the Asgard say anything else? I mean, are they willing to talk to us yet?'

'Not exactly.' Jack pushed a hand through his hair.

'They think we're still too young?' Daniel looked crushed.

'Maybe.' Jack said thoughtfully. He pointed at the archaeologist. 'They did say we had taken our first step to becoming,' he mimed quotation marks, 'the fifth race.'

'The fifth race?' Daniel's eyes widened again. 'You mean joining the alliance?'

'I guess,' muttered Jack.

'Wow. That's…wow.' Daniel blinked. 'Do they really think we're worthy?'

'I think it's more along the lines that they think we're going to be worthy eventually.' Jack waved his hand. 'Some day. In the future.'

Teal'c arched an elegant eyebrow.

Jack made another vague gesture. 'One day. Maybe.'

Daniel clicked his fingers several times and almost rose from his chair. 'The fish guy!'

'Excuse me?' Jack asked, blinking at him disconcertedly.

'Nem.' Daniel stated excitedly. Jack's face remained blank. 'The alien who kidnapped me and made you guys think I was dead.'

'Oh. Him.' Jack exchanged a resigned look with Teal'c. 'What about him?'

'Maybe he's a Furling.' Daniel said gesturing. 'He was advanced and his mate must have been on Earth around the same time as the Asgard.'

'I don't know, Daniel.' Jack said slowly and leaned back in his chair. 'The Furlings kind of sound cute and fuzzy to me.' He threw his spoon in the empty dish.

Teal'c's eyebrows rose.

'I wonder if we'll ever meet them.' Daniel murmured.

'Who knows?' Jack shrugged. 'Maybe we already have and didn't know it.'

'Well, that's depressing.' Daniel objected.

Jack smiled as he got up from the table. 'Don't worry, Daniel, I'm sure when we do meet them, you'll be the first to tell me not to shoot them.'

o-O-o

Samantha Carter looked at the device in front of her and gave it a desolate poke. It remained lifeless. She slumped into the stool and rubbed the back of her neck. Her blue eyes felt gritty and sore having spent an entire night reviewing machine code and checking that the Colonel's actions while he had been under the influence of the Ancient knowledge hadn't done any irretrievable harm. It had taken her and two other technicians far too long to establish that the Colonel had actually increased the efficiency of the dialling programme along with inputting the coordinates of many more Stargates in the galaxy. She shook her head. She didn't know which was more impressive.

She sighed and slowly lowered her head; her arms provided a pillow as she laid them flat on the workbench. She just needed to close her eyes for a minute, she thought wearily, just for a minute and then she'd look at the device again. A whole team of scientists had looked at the device and declared it was dead but General Hammond had still given it to her. The Colonel had built it to supplement the power when he had dialled the Stargate to the Asgard planet and the General was interested in seeing if they could use it on an ongoing basis to relieve the pressure on the electricity requirements. So far, she had drawn as much of a blank as the other scientists on base and she had a gut feeling that wasn't going to change particularly as according to Daniel the Colonel didn't remember what he did.

She shifted position restlessly. She had been a little frustrated that her work had kept her from checking that the SG1 team leader was OK after he had come back through the wormhole, but she'd had her orders and she had abided by them. It had been several hours before she'd caught a break and managed to escape long enough to try and find the rest of her team. Only Daniel had still been awake. He'd been working in his office trying to translate a piece of obscure text SG2 had found on their last mission. He'd confirmed Jack had already bunked down for the night with Teal'c apparently watching over him just to make sure there weren't any lasting effects from his experience. Daniel had brought her up to speed with what had happened with the Colonel and the Asgard. The news of the alliance and the possibility of being part of it had been uplifting; the news that Jack didn't remember anything had been disappointing. She would have appreciated some help figuring out what he had actually done.

She stirred and sat up. She rubbed a hand over her face and stared ahead unseeingly. The whole incident had left her feeling somewhat useless. She had watched helplessly as the Ancient device had grabbed her CO and then watched him slowly overtaken by the knowledge in his head unable to prevent what was happening to him and unable to help him. At least Daniel had been able to help Jack a little as he had been able to communicate with him. She frowned at the tug of jealousy and shook it away. She knew Teal'c had felt the same as she had; they had talked a little about it on their ill-fated mission to try and get help. If the Colonel hadn't come up with the DHD instructions…she fingered the sun-burns on her face unconsciously.

'Hey, Earth to Carter!'

Sam blinked and turned around sharply to find Jack standing in her doorway frowning at her.

'Are you OK, Captain?' Jack asked as he slowly made his way into the lab to stand next to her. He'd called her name quite a few times before she had responded.

Sam smiled weakly. 'Just tired, sir.'

'I take it I didn't break the computer?' Jack asked in a lighter tone as he stuffed his hands in his pants' pockets.

'No, sir. Actually you improved the efficiency of the dialling programme by twenty-five per cent.' Sam said dryly.

'I did?' Jack shrugged a little self-consciously. 'Well, good.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam bit her lip to stop from smiling again.

Jack's eyes roamed over her. She looked exhausted. There were purple shadows under her eyes, tension lines creasing her face and, across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones he could see the harsh burns she had suffered trying to save him. 'You should probably get some sleep.'

Sam's lips twisted; she obviously looked as bad as she felt. 'General Hammond wanted me to look at this.' She gestured at the device on the workbench.

'I'm sure he didn't mean right _now_, Carter.' Jack said. 'What is it anyway?'

'It's an energy source that you built to get enough power to the gate to dial the Asgard planet.' Sam said succinctly. 'You really don't remember how it works?'

'I really don't.' Jack confirmed.

'Maybe if you worked with me, it would come back to you.' Sam suggested, folding her arms over the black top she wore.

'I doubt it.' Jack said. 'I don't have any advanced knowledge anymore, Carter, I'm back to being,' he gave a self-deprecating smile, 'me.'

'But you do have a degree in engineering, sir,' Sam refused to let him continue with his pretence of being dumb.

'Ah. You know about that?' Jack sighed as she nodded. 'Well, even so, I'm sure you'll figure it out without me getting in your way.' It impressed the heck out of him that she had been able to make sense of all the advancements he had apparently made.

'I'm not sure about that, sir.' Sam admitted, looking at the device again.

He was taken aback by the despondent note in her voice. 'You will.' He said confidently.

Her eyes flew back to his. For a moment the two of them stared at each other.

'So,' Jack said, clearing his throat, 'breakfast?'

'Sounds like a good idea, sir.' Sam admitted, sliding off the stool.

'And then, bed.' Jack said firmly. 'For you.' He added hurriedly seeing her amusement. 'Not for me.'

Sam grinned at him and opened her mouth to tease him…

The klaxon sounded.

'Saved by the bell.' Jack quipped. He waved her forward as they hurried to the control room. They entered at a run at the same time as the General.

'What's going on, Sergeant?' Hammond asked as Sam slipped into a spare seat to interrogate the computer; Jack stood behind her. He nodded an acknowledgement as Daniel and Teal'c arrived to join them.

'It's an unscheduled incoming wormhole, sir.' Walter Harriman replied briskly.

The iris slid open.

'I didn't authorise that, Sergeant.' Hammond said alarmed.

'Yes, sir. I mean, I know, sir.' Walter stumbled over his words. 'It slid open on its own.'

'Captain?' Hammond asked sharply.

'I don't know, sir.' Sam replied. 'The computer isn't responding.'

'Is this because of…' Jack gestured at himself.

'No, sir.' Sam shook her head. 'I don't think so.'

'Hello.' The voice came through the microphone loudly. 'Can anybody hear me?'

Jack and Daniel looked at each other in surprised recognition and the archaeologist leaned forward to the microphone with a frown. 'Tonane?'

'Hello, Daniel.' Tonane's warm tone washed over them.

'He must be using the MALP we left on the planet to communicate with us.' Sam mused.

'Can you bring up the video?' Hammond asked quietly.

Sam nodded and an instant later the monitor showed an uncertain Tonane crouched closely by the MALP; the aliens they knew as T'akaya and X'els by his side.

'Hello, Tonane.' Daniel responded. 'It's good to hear from you again.'

'It's good to hear you too, Daniel.' Tonane laughed. 'X'els said this would help us talk to each other through the blue water.'

'What can we do for you, Tonane?' Hammond stepped forward.

'Hello, George!' Tonane replied cheerfully.

'Hello, Tonane.' Hammond couldn't help softening at Tonane's friendliness.

'X'els and I would like to visit.' Tonane said eagerly. 'If that's OK with you, George.'

They could all see his hopefulness in the monitor. Hammond looked over at Jack who shrugged. Their relationship with Tonane's people and their alien protectors hadn't gone well the first time; they had been close to losing the base after they had been caught plotting to steal a rare metal, trinium, from the Salish. It had only been the efforts of Jack and Daniel that had persuaded the aliens to leave them unharmed; they had believed the Salish and the aliens would bury the gate. Hammond frowned. He couldn't pretend he was happy to have an alien who had the potential to destroy his base back on Earth.

X'els stepped up to the camera on the MALP as though he had read Hammond's thoughts. 'I promise you, we come in peace.'

'Very well.' Hammond sighed. 'You have permission to come through.' He nodded at SG1 who made their way ahead of him to the gate room. Tonane and X'els stepped through together. The Salish man was dressed in the traditional gear of his upbringing while the strange looking alien beside him was dressed in a luminous silver outfit that gleamed in the artificial light of the base.

Tonane broke into a wide grin at the sight of them and Jack couldn't help but grin back. 'Tonane.'

'It is good to see you again, Jack.' Tonane greeted him before his gaze encompassed them all. 'All of you.'

'Perhaps we should adjourn to the briefing room.' Hammond's suggestion was readily accepted and a few moments later they all took seats around the conference table.

'You'll forgive our surprise but we weren't expecting to hear from you again.' Hammond admitted as he clasped his hands together.

'It was our intention,' X'els admitted, 'never to contact your people again but Tonane and his tribe have a request.' He nodded at his friend.

'We would like to know more about our ancestors on your planet, George.' Tonane said firmly.

'Well, I'm sure that can be arranged.' Hammond glanced at Daniel who nodded eagerly.

'Of course.' Daniel nodded. 'I'd be happy to tell you all about your ancestors.'

Tonane smiled happily. 'We would also like to offer you a gift of thanks.'

X'els thumped his fists together and a large container appeared out of nowhere with a flash of light in the gate room, much to the startlement of the guards.

Hammond jumped to his feet and strode to the internal window. 'What is that?' He asked concerned.

'It is the metal you call trinium.' X'els cocked his head.

'X'els asked the mountain and the river to provide enough for your needs.' Tonane said, grinning.

They all turned to look at X'els inquiringly.

'You asked the mountain?' Jack asked; he didn't quite manage to keep the slightly mocking tone out of his voice.

'We have ways of extracting the trinium which are not detrimental to the natural environment of the planet.' X'els confirmed.

'Ah.' Jack quirked an eyebrow at Sam who ducked her head as she tried to keep the grin off her face.

'This is a very generous offer,' Hammond said, waving at the trinium on the other side of the glass, 'but I'm not sure we can accept it.'

'You have kept your word in not coming back to our planet, George,' Tonane said, 'and we appreciate that.'

'We would also like to thank you for the wisdom in encouraging us to be honest with our friend Tonane and his people. Our relationship with the Salish has only become closer.' X'els added. 'We support their wish to learn more of their forefathers.'

Hammond took a breath, uncertain what to do.

'It would be rude to refuse a gift, General.' Jack advised.

'Our friend Jack speaks wisely.' X'els commented.

'Well, OK.' Hammond relented. 'Thank you, X'els; Tonane. This is most generous of you.'

'Perhaps our two people can work together to agree a future relationship?' Daniel proposed. 'I'm sure there are many ways we can learn from each other.'

'Perhaps.' X'els allowed. He turned to Tonane. 'We should return to the planet.'

They all stood up and escorted their guests back to the gate room. Sam organised a GDO code and device, showing Tonane how to use it as they waited for the gate to dial. She stepped back as the wormhole connected.

'Thank you, Sam.' Tonane waved the device at her. 'We will be in touch.'

'We look forward to it.' Hammond said warmly.

X'els nodded at them as he made his way up the ramp beside Tonane and disappeared into the blue horizon.

Hammond waved at Sergeant Siler across the gate room. 'Sergeant, organise getting this trinium stored.'

'Yes, sir.' Siler started to snap orders at his men and most of SG1 turned to follow the General out of the room.

Jack paused as Daniel stayed put; the archaeologist was staring at the Stargate with a perplexed expression. 'Daniel?'

Daniel's head jerked to the Colonel's. 'Sorry. I was just wondering…'

'What?' Jack asked as Daniel walked over to him and they wandered out of the room together.

'Whether X'els could be a Furling.' Daniel admitted.

Jack thought about it for a second. 'Nah!' He said, his brown eyes twinkling irrepressively. 'He's definitely not cute and furry enough. The other one…'

'T'akaya.' Daniel supplied.

'Didn't you say she was a wolf back on the planet?' Jack asked.

'You think a wolf is cute?' Daniel exclaimed in disbelief.

'I'm just saying.' Jack said as they joined Sam and Teal'c by the elevator.

'You're not taking this seriously.' Daniel complained.

'I am.' Jack shot back.

'You're not.' Daniel retorted.

'Am so.'

'Are not.'

Sam and Teal'c exchanged an amused look over the behaviour of their team-mates as they all got into the elevator.

Jack darted a look at Daniel. 'Am.'

'Not.' Daniel muttered.

The elevator doors slid shut.


	35. A Matter of Timing

**Author's Note:** Jack/Team friendship with a slight emphasis on Sam/Jack.

**A Matter of Time Recap:** _Sam and Jack are in the control room when there is an unscheduled incoming wormhole. There is a problem recognising the signal but after it is speeded up the computer recognises it as SG10. They open the iris but SG10 fail to come through before the wormhole disengages. A rescue mission is proposed but Hammond insists on sending a probe first. The video from the MALP is distorted and Sam works out that SG10 are trying to escape from a black hole near to the planet. She confirms that there is no hope for the team._

_Unfortunately, they cannot disengage the outgoing wormhole. Outside, a Special Forces team arrive believing the base has been overtaken by aliens as there has been no communication for four hours. Inside, Hammond leaves Jack in charge as he attempts to go to an upper level to call the President. Janet is stopped on her way to the infirmary by the Special Forces leader, Col. Frank Cromwell. Jack recognises him and doesn't seem pleased to see him. As Sam insists she needs to get to the surface having worked out they are feeling the effects of the black hole's gravity, Hammond arrives back – he's been to Washington and back. The SGC is in a time dilation field where time is moving more slowly to the rest of the outside world. The SGC is evacuated and Jack remains behind with Cromwell to set the auto-destruct. The two men argue; Cromwell left Jack behind in Iraq and was responsible for Jack being in an Iraqi prison for four months._

_Sam believes the auto-destruct is a bad idea and as she talks to Hammond she gets an idea to jump the wormhole. Sam returns to the SGC just in time to stop Jack. Instead, he and Cromwell rappel down to the gate from the control room to set the bomb Sam has designed which will make the wormhole jump. The iris suddenly gives way and falls into the churning wormhole; Cromwell follows when his rope breaks. Jack sets the bomb and Sam and Teal'c pull him to safety as it explodes. He wakes up in the infirmary to the news from Daniel that since he reported for duty the day before, two weeks has passed. _

**A Matter of Timing**

'We are gathered here today to honour Colonel Franklyn Cromwell, Major Henry Boyd, Captain Luke Strider, Lieutenants Sheila McIlroy, and James Martin who gave their lives in the service of their country.'

General Hammond's sad words washed over Jack O'Neill. The Colonel was stood in a rigid military position, dressed in the blue suit that was required at official engagements. Jack was never comfortable in the outfit but for some reason the material seemed more confining than usual. The starched white collar of his shirt bit into his throat and rubbed harshly against the raw scratch at the back of his neck. He resisted the urge to tug on his tie and kept his brown eyes staring resolutely ahead at the podium on the ramp; the Stargate was a dramatic back-drop. He was oblivious to the concerned looks his team-mate Daniel Jackson kept shooting his way and only semi-aware of his fellow Air Force officer, Captain Samantha Carter, beside him; she was maintaining her position with a stillness that he envied as was the Jaffa, Teal'c, who completed the line SG1 had made at the front of the gathering.

The Colonel's mind absently followed the speech as he let his thoughts drift back to the first name on the list of the dead. Frank Cromwell. They'd been friends once, what seemed like a lifetime ago to Jack. Comrades who had joined Special Forces together, worked together side by side for years and who had grown into something closer; buddies. Their families had hung out when the missions were done; there had been barbeques, beer and fishing. Memories of happier times flashed briefly through his head and he inwardly shook them away. Their friendship had ended the day that Jack had watched as the helicopter sent to extract their team flew away leaving him behind, he reminded himself brusquely. For a moment, Jack felt himself caught in the flashback; dust and heat, pain and blood. Horror flicked through his eyes before his vision cleared and he was back in the gate room, back listening to the dignified Texan drawl of the man who now commanded him.

Cromwell had led the mission in Iraq; Jack's team had been there as support. Bad intel, bad plan…the mission had gone South almost immediately. Jack knew if he closed his eyes, the whole nightmare would repeat in his head again; running from the Iraqi soldiers, bullets flying, the heat and the stink of it…the prison. Jack jerked his gaze back to the front just as Hammond brought his remarks to a close. Another man stepped forward; the SGC chaplain. Jack let his thoughts wander again as the comforting words of prayer echoed through the gate room.

He had held onto his anger at Cromwell until the end. The other man had tried to reach him, tried to make him understand how sorry he had been for his mistake, and Jack had shut him down. He wasn't sure if he would have forgiven him even if he had known how things would turn out yet he couldn't help question his decision to deny the other man forgiveness…he felt his body swaying slightly and corrected the movement. He glanced around briefly to check that nobody had noticed and his eyes collided with Daniel's.

_Are you OK?_ Daniel's worry shone out from behind his blue eyes even hidden behind his glasses.

_I'm fine. _

The communication was silent but clear before Jack looked away. Daniel would have forgiven Cromwell, Jack thought bluntly. The younger man had so much compassion that he astonished Jack at times. Just look at the way he had forgiven Teal'c for the Jaffa's part in what had happened to Sha're, Jack mused. If Daniel could forgive Teal'c for that, then why couldn't he have found the compassion to forgive Frank? _Because Daniel was a better man than he was._

Jack suppressed the urge to sigh. In truth, his friendship with Daniel still surprised him. The younger man was sometimes too liberal, too esoteric for Jack. He had an impetuousness and naivety that drove Jack nuts on missions. They differed wildly in their interests and shared very little beyond their mission at the SGC in common yet Jack admired Daniel; admired his certainty in what was right. Jack would never admit it openly but Daniel inspired him to be a better man; to make the right decision, the moral decision. In many ways, despite the fact that he and Frank had known each other for longer, deep down Jack knew he had never been as close to Frank, who had been more similar to him in nature and outlook, than he was to Daniel.

He knew he could count on Daniel in a way that he could count on very few. All of SG1 were fiercely loyal to each other, bonded in a way only they could understand; their ties more personal than driven by military necessity. Jack knew Daniel would never leave him behind. If Daniel had been in Iraq…well, they both would have been captured, Jack considered with a flash of amusement, because Daniel would no doubt have jumped out of the damned helicopter to save him. Maybe Frank had been right after all…

'_I thought you were dead.' _

Frank's desperate words resounded in his head. He had made a mistake, one that had cost Jack four months of his life but in all honesty Jack knew he might have made the same mistake himself if their positions had been reversed. He was too similar to Frank; too trained in the same methods for it not to be a possibility. And despite the fact that the SGC adhered to the belief that their people were never left behind, there were times it was impossible to keep to it…like the situation with SG10.

Guilt nagged at Jack. He had recommended Henry Boyd as SG10 leader. Hank was a good man, a good soldier. He reminded Jack of Carter a little. They had the same single-minded focus on occasion and the same love of science. Jack knew Hank would have known the danger the black hole represented, just as Sam had known as soon as she had worked out why the signals from the planet were coming in so slow. Hank had tried to get his team home but it had been too late; too late for them to come back and too late for anyone to go and save them; SG10 had been left behind. Jack started at the sound of the bugle horn. The last note drifted away and Hammond dismissed the gathering.

Jack whirled around, already tugging on his tie as he headed for the locker room. He couldn't wait to get out of the constricting suit and into the BDU. He and the male members of SG1 were the first to start changing.

'Are you OK?' Daniel asked when the muted conversation had reached enough of a level to hide the question in amongst the other chatter.

'Fine.' Jack said tersely, shoving his arms into the black t-shirt and pulling it over his head. It fell over the plane of his back hiding the cuts and burns from the explosion that had jumped the wormhole and saved the planet. His vision obscured he missed the anxious look Daniel and Teal'c exchanged.

Lou Ferretti cleared his throat. 'Colonel?'

'Yes, Ferretti?' Jack asked as he concentrated on tying the laces on his boots.

'Some of us are heading to Kelly's to raise a toast to Hank and the others. I thought you and the rest of SG1 might want to join us.'

Jack yanked hard on the knot he had tied and didn't answer immediately. He really didn't want to go. The thought of spending the evening on his roof with a bottle of beer and a sky filled with stars seemed infinitely more preferable than a night stuck in a smoky booth watching the rest of the SG teams get drunk and sentimental over SG10. His duty to make an appearance as a senior officer warred with his innate desire to give it all a miss.

He belatedly realised Ferretti was waiting for an answer along with most of the changing room. 'What time?' he sighed.

'About eight.' Ferretti said with relief.

'OK.' Jack muttered.

He left before Ferretti could make any further comment and eschewed the elevator for the stairs. He was outside Sam's lab before he realised where his feet had taken him. He peeked inside and saw Sam working away on her computer, still in her suit, her delicate features lit up from the glow of the monitor. He knocked on the door and she waved him inside.

'Sir.' Sam turned from the computer and looked at her CO inquisitively.

Jack searched for a reason he could give her for showing up in her lab. The answer came to him in a grateful flash. 'There's going to be some drinks at Kelly's later for Hank and the rest of SG10.' He explained clasping his hands behind his back. 'So I was wondering if you wanted to go along, you know, raise a toast to SG10, have a drink.'

Her blue eyes widened a little in surprise.

'I mean,' Jack hurriedly added as he suddenly realised his words could be construed as asking her out on a date, 'with the rest of us. SG1. All of us.' He trailed away as she started smiling.

'Yes, sir.' Sam bit her lip to stop herself from grinning. 'That would be nice.'

'Nice.' Jack repeated. He rocked back on his heels and took a deep breath. Somehow her agreement to attend made him feel better about going along himself. CO, he reminded himself, he wasn't supposed to notice Sam was beautiful. Yeah, right, he thought derisively. 'So,' he said, gesturing at her computer as he tried to find a distraction, 'what're you working on?'

'I was writing up my report about the effects of the black hole on our space-time.' Sam said. 'I still don't understand how we experienced the time dilation in advance of the black hole's gravity.' Her brow creased as her sharp mind jumped back to her calculations. 'It doesn't make sense.'

'Maybe the wormhole had something to do with it.' Jack suggested as he leaned on the workbench.

'Actually, I think you could be right, sir.' Sam mused. 'I have a theory that the warping of the space-time continuum by the wormhole may have caused the usual gravity effect of the black hole to distort and…'

He listened to her with half an ear. Frank had been right, Jack mused, Sam was hot when she technobabbled. Of course, Jack had cut Frank off mid-sentence on his observation; Sam got enough hassle about her looks without her CO seeming to add to it.

Sam trailed away as she realised Jack was staring at her. 'Sir?'

'So you think the wormhole acted as a filter and pushed the time distortion through faster and slowed the gravity effect?' Jack repeated, unsure of the accuracy of what he had just said but hoping it made some kind of sense given he hadn't really been listening.

'Yes.' Sam looked at him surprised. She had been sure he hadn't really been paying attention.

'That was some idea you had.'

'Well, I can't really prove it.' Sam admitted.

'I meant about jumping the wormhole.' Jack clarified. He held her gaze. 'You did a great job.'

Sam shifted a little uncomfortable with the praise. 'Well, you did order me to think of something, sir.'

'I'm sure you didn't need the order, Carter.' Jack admitted, remembering how he'd snapped at her. 'I know things got a little tense back there.'

'It was a tense situation, sir.' Sam said, recognising the underlying apology in his words.

'Yeah.' Jack looked down at his clasped hands for a second. A movement by the door had him suddenly looking over to it.

'Hey.' Daniel said as he and Teal'c entered the lab. 'We were looking for you.'

Jack straightened and waved at Sam. 'I came to tell Carter about Ferretti's little shin-dig later.'

Daniel glanced over at Sam. 'You are coming, right?' Most of the SG teams were military personnel and while Sam was an Air Force officer, she never made him feel like he was on the outside of the gathering as a civilian.

She nodded. 'Of course.'

Jack looked over at Daniel. 'So why were you guys looking for me anyway?'

'Well, we…uh…' Daniel shot a frantic look for assistance at Teal'c.

The Jaffa clasped his hands behind his back and pinned Jack with a serious stare. 'We wish to offer you support during this most difficult time, O'Neill.'

Jack's lips twitched at Daniel's look of horrified exasperation at Teal'c's statement of truth. 'I'm OK, guys.' He caught the archaeologist's eyes. 'Really.'

'Are you sure about that, Jack?' Daniel discarded his pretence of being unconcerned. 'You've been pretty quiet since you woke up after the blast.'

Jack shrugged. 'I've just had some things to think about,' he held up a finger as Daniel opened his mouth to speak, 'and no, I don't want to talk about it.' He held all their gazes for a moment until he got the acquiescence he wanted. He nodded. 'I'll see you all later.' He strode out.

Daniel slumped onto a stool. 'Well, that went well.'

'You are incorrect, Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c replied. 'It did not go well at all.'

Sam's lips twitched but she gave Daniel a reassuring pat on the arm. 'He knows we're here for him, Daniel.'

'I don't understand.' Daniel said. 'I mean I know he was upset about not being able to rescue Boyd and SG10.'

'I do not believe Colonel O'Neill's agitation to be about SG10.' Teal'c murmured.

'You think he's upset about Cromwell?' Sam bit her lip. 'I guess that would make sense. They did serve together.'

'But there has to be more to it.' Daniel folded his arms resolutely. 'Did Jack say anything to either of you?'

'He did not.' Teal'c confirmed.

Daniel's eyes moved to Sam whose eyes slid away guiltily. 'Sam?'

She sighed. 'I read it in his file and I'm really not supposed to know about it.'

'About what?' Daniel pressed.

She looked from an expectant Teal'c to an anxious Daniel and back. 'Colonel Cromwell was in charge of a mission in Iraq when Colonel O'Neill was in Special Forces.' She wet her lips as they looked at her in stunned silence. 'Cromwell left the Colonel behind and he ended up in an Iraqi prison for four months.'

'God.' Daniel muttered. Jack had told Daniel about his experience in the Iraqi prison and the archaeologist knew the military officer still bore the emotional and psychological scars of his experience. 'No wonder Jack's…' He waved a hand expressively.

'Indeed.' Teal'c said.

'So what do we do?' Daniel sighed.

Sam patted his shoulder again. 'What we are doing; being there for him if he needs us.'

o-O-o

Kelly's was one of the better bars in the town and one of the most popular haunts of the military staff. It was owned by an old Marine Sergeant and he ran a tight operation; the place was clean, service was swift and brawls were few. It was split into two levels; the upper level had a long saloon bar, beer on tap and open tables and chairs. The lower level offered privacy; booths lined the walls, tables were smaller and a couple of waitresses made the rounds.

Sam scanned the room for her team, nodding the odd acknowledgement when her gaze hit someone she knew. She finally caught sight of Daniel's blue checked shirt peeking out from a booth. She made her way over, shrugging out of her denim jacket as she went. She didn't notice the admiring glances from the men in the bar at the way her simple outfit of blue jeans and a pink sweater showcased her trim figure.

'Sam!' Daniel waved at her in relief as he spotted her approach.

She slid into the booth beside him. 'Sorry I'm late. My car wouldn't start again and I don't think the cab driver knew where he was going.'

'You made it, Carter, that's the important thing.' Jack said, gesturing a hello at her with his beer bottle and hiding his own appreciation at her appearance by taking a long swallow of the amber liquid.

Sam reached for the beer on the table. 'Mine?'

Teal'c nodded. 'As you requested, Captain Carter.' She had called Jack a few moments before with her order.

'Thanks.' Sam commented as she glanced around. 'This place is packed.'

'I think the whole base is here.' Daniel agreed as he leaned back into the plush leather cushions and fiddled with the foil label on the beer Jack had pressed him into drinking.

Teal'c picked up his ginger ale. He still found the Tau'ri way of grieving to be somewhat unusual.

'So, to SG10.' Sam proposed.

They all clinked their various beverages together and settled back. Sam asked Daniel about the tribe he had discovered when he had been off-world with SG6 and he happily began to tell them all about it.

It took Jack a full minute to realise that Sam had omitted Cromwell and that Daniel and Teal'c hadn't called her on it. He lowered his beer suspiciously. The details of his relationship with Cromwell only existed in the full version of his official record and that was sealed. The file held on record for public viewing barely noted they had served together. His brown eyes landed on Sam. He would bet all the money he had that she had gotten to his official record somehow; her hacking skills were second to none. He flushed unwillingly as the knowledge that she had read his record sank in. She knew everything he had done, everything he had been through and she still followed him, still trusted him? It was a minor miracle, he considered ruefully.

'Sir, are you OK?' Sam's question broke through his musing and he realised suddenly that he had been staring at her.

'Fine, Captain.' Jack said easily.

Sam frowned but returned to her conversation with Daniel. Jack and Teal'c contributed comments occasionally and it was with some surprise that she found she had finished her beer.

'You want another one?' Jack asked, already moving to his feet. 'Daniel? Teal'c?'

'Thanks, sir, but just a diet soda for me this time.' Sam responded.

'Me too.' Daniel added.

'I will imbibe another ginger ale, O'Neill.' Teal'c said firmly.

Jack's eyebrows quirked expressively. 'Two diet sodas and one ginger ale it is then.' He walked away to the bar.

Sam excused herself to the bathroom. She entered the small ladies' room and smiled at the female officer from SG7 stood in front of the mirror while she went into one of the stalls. A moment later she heard the other woman leave. She flushed the toilet and took a moment to check the zipper on her jeans. She was about to leave the stall when she heard the bathroom door bang open and another couple of women enter laughing loudly.

'I tell you that Doctor Jackson is so hot.'

Sam bit her lip to keep from laughing and decided to hold out on leaving the stall to eavesdrop on what the women were saying about the archaeologist. She vaguely recognised their voices as nurses assigned to the infirmary.

'I definitely wouldn't kick him out of bed.' The woman continued.

'I don't know. Don't you think he's a bit…geeky?' Her friend rejoined.

'I like geeky.' The first woman sounded a little defensive.

'I prefer Colonel O'Neill. Now that man is gorgeous. Those eyes…' There was a heartfelt sigh.

'Never mind his eyes; that butt of his…'

Giggles ensued and it wasall Sam could do not to join in.

'It's a real shame he's taken.'

Sam kept still surprised at the turn of the conversation. She frowned. She hadn't realised the Colonel was seeing anyone. Not that it was any of her business; he was her CO. Sure she'd had a crush on him once but nothing could happen between them. She resolutely ignored her churning stomach at the idea of Jack with someone else.

'Who's he with?'

Apparently she wasn't the only one surprised, Sam mused.

'You know…Captain Carter.'

Sam's mouth fell open.

'I think you've got that wrong. Just because they're on the same team; she must be with him? Heck, if I had a dollar for every time some idiot soldier has claimed that I've been sleeping with a male CO, I'd be a rich woman.'

Sam silently applauded the other woman.

'I'm just saying what I've heard.'

'Like I said, you're wrong. Besides, haven't you heard the latest? He had a real go at her in the control room apparently when they found out about SG10.'

'Really? Why?'

There was a derisive snort. 'She suggested they keep watching the black hole on the video even though they could see SG10 dying right in front of them.'

'No! God, that's cold.'

'You know some think she still might be a Goa'uld, you know how she was a host to one? And I have to say I hear something like that and I have to agree with them. I mean, if you were fully human, you just wouldn't suggest something like that, would you?'

'I know. I'm surprised she had the guts to show her face here.' There was a sigh. 'How do I look?'

'Fab-u-lous.'

'Let's go then.'

Sam heard the door bang shut behind the two women as they departed and the bathroom fell silent. She put the lid down on the toilet, slowly sinking to sit on it. She was shaking in reaction. Just when she thought things were back to normal; that she could be herself again…

She knew her experience as a host to the Tok'ra symbiote Jolinar had left her irretrievably altered; physically, emotionally, psychologically. She wasn't the same Samantha Carter that had existed before Jolinar yet she was trying to be; she was trying so hard to ignore the dreams and the occasional flashes of memories that she knew weren't hers. She covered her face with shaking hands and was surprised when they touched wetness. She was crying. She swiped angrily at the tears. She shouldn't let the comments of two bitchy women get to her, she thought furiously. She'd just saved the world; what more did they want?

But they had been right about her suggestion to watch the black hole, the voice in her head whispered insidiously. She had been so rapt up in seeing an actual black hole that she had forgotten the human cost until Colonel O'Neill had sharply reminded her. He'd been so angry and disappointed in her. Maybe he still was. Her breath caught in her throat on a sob.

The door to the bathroom creaked open and she held her breath, determined to remain silent and unnoticed.

'Sam? Are you in here?'

Daniel's concerned voice had Sam's eyes widening in horror. She rubbed at her face trying to eliminate evidence of her crying jag. 'Daniel, this is the ladies' bathroom.'

'Well, you're the only one in here right now.' Daniel said. 'Are you OK?'

'I'm fine, Daniel. I'll be out in a minute.' Sam said, grabbing at some toilet tissue to help blow her nose.

'You sound upset.' Daniel noted.

'I'm OK. Go back to the table.' Sam said desperately.

She heard the door to the bathroom open again and she gave a sigh of relief. She undid the lock on her door and stepped out. She stopped abruptly at the sight of the archaeologist in front of the sinks. 'Daniel.' She sighed. Her red eyes and tear-stained cheeks were evident in the harsh lighting.

Daniel took a step forward and pulled her into a hug. 'You can't tell me something isn't wrong.'

'It's nothing.' Sam immediately denied everything. She pulled away from him and moved past him to the sink. 'I'm fine.'

'Sam…' Daniel began his protest as she splashed water over her cheeks, repairing most of the damage.

'Please, Daniel.' Sam looked over at him pleadingly as she mopped up the moisture with more tissue and threw them in the trash. 'Just drop it, OK?'

Daniel nodded slowly. 'If that's what you want.'

'Thank you.' She reached over and squeezed his hand before she left the bathroom. She headed back to the booth with Daniel in her wake. She fleetingly noticed how concerned Teal'c and Jack looked as she grabbed her jacket.

'You OK, Carter?' Jack asked mildly. He frowned at the sight of her pink nose. Had she been crying?

'Actually, sir, I'm not feeling too well. I think I'm going to call a cab and head home.' Sam said swiftly.

Jack's decision was equally fast. 'I'll drive you.'

'No, really, that's OK. I don't want to disturb you, sir.' Sam said, shaking her head. 'I'll be fine with a cab.'

'You shouldn't wait for a cab if you're not feeling well, Captain. I'll drive you.' Jack said insistently. 'Daniel, can you take Teal'c back to the base?'

Daniel nodded as he grabbed his own jacket. 'Sure but…'

'Great.' Jack slid out of the booth and gestured at the door. 'Shall we?'

Sam sighed and gave in. The four of them parted outside of Kelly's main entrance. Jack led the way to his truck and opened the passenger door for her before getting in himself. They pulled out into the traffic and stopped for a red light. She shivered.

'Cold?' Jack asked.

'A little.' Sam admitted.

He turned up the heat. 'It'll warm up soon.' He sneaked another look at her. She'd definitely been crying in the bathroom but about what? 'So you want to tell me what's really going on?'

She looked away, staring ahead out of the windshield at the streetlights. 'I don't want to talk about it, sir.'

Jack pulled a face. 'OK. If that's what you want.'

She felt tears prick at the back of her eyes and resolutely refused to give into them.

'I just want you to know if you want to talk, I'm available.' Jack said awkwardly. He lifted a hand off the wheel. 'Or there's Daniel.' He waited a beat. 'Teal'c's pretty good with the listening thing, not so much on the actual talking.' He glanced over and was pleased to see the hint of a smile tugging on her lips. 'We're all here for you, Sam.' He said.

The use of her first name had her head turning towards him. She softened at the sincerity in his face. 'I know, Jack.'

The use of his first name had him breathing in sharply; she rarely used it. He stopped for another red light and looked over at her. In the quiet darkness, the cab of his truck suddenly seemed incredibly small and intimate. He gripped the steering wheel and focused on the lights, driving away smoothly as they changed to green.

Sam looked over at her CO, at the way his greying hair was ruffled untidily, at the scratch along his neck. He could so easily have died implementing her plan just like Cromwell…he really was an incredible man, she mused absently.

Oh no.

No, she wasn't doing this again, Sam thought furiously. She was not developing another crush on Jack. It was bad enough she'd developed one after the whole Antarctica incident but she'd managed to put that behind her…well, more honestly she hadn't really thought about it since the whole Jolinar business had provided her with something of a distraction. So, she admired him, she considered defiantly, so what? Jack had a lot of qualities to admire especially given what she knew he had been through with the Iraqi prison…how he had managed to work alongside Cromwell at all was a mystery to her but there again, she mused, Daniel had managed to set aside his anger at Teal'c too. She sighed and fingered the edge of her jacket. She hated the idea that she might have disappointed Jack with her remark about watching the black hole.

'I'm sorry.' The words tumbled out of her before she could stop them.

Jack turned to her surprised. 'What for?'

'For suggesting we should watch the black hole.' Sam felt her cheeks heat in remembered mortification. 'I don't know what I was thinking.'

'You were thinking it was a unique scientific opportunity.' Jack replied easily.

'I know but I forgot about SG10.' Sam admitted, looking down at her hands.

They halted at another light and Jack glanced over at her. 'You just got focused on the wrong thing.'

'So you don't think…' Sam hesitated about asking the rest of the question.

'Don't think what?' Jack prompted.

She took a deep breath. 'That my making the suggestion had anything to do with Jolinar?'

'No.' Jack shot back. He frowned and looked over at her concerned. 'Do you?'

'No. Of course not. It's just…' Sam shook her head. 'It doesn't matter.'

'And yet it so obviously does.' Jack said lightly.

She smiled sadly. 'I was eavesdropping on a couple of the women in the bathroom and they…' she shook her head again. 'Like I said it doesn't matter.'

Jack felt a spark of anger at the unknown women who'd put the thought into her head. 'You're you, Sam.'

'I'm different.' Sam confessed quietly. She glanced over at him unsure at his reaction to her statement and was taken aback to find him looking back at her with nothing but reassurance.

'Of course you are.' Jack said holding her gaze. 'Nobody goes through something like that and for it not to have an effect.'

Sam nodded slowly. She was certain to her bones that he was thinking of his own prison experience. 'I still have flashbacks.' She confessed quietly. 'They've been better since we met the Tok'ra but they still sneak up on me sometimes.'

Jack delayed answering until he pulled away from the junction, making the turn into her neighbourhood. 'Why haven't you said anything before?'

'I don't know.' Sam admitted. 'I guess I'm just sick of being treated like a freak.'

There was a hint of anger in her voice and Jack knew it was directed at the women who'd upset her earlier and not at him. 'The people who matter don't think you're a freak, Sam.' He pulled to a stop outside of her apartment building and turned to her. 'And you don't have to go through this alone.' He reached out impulsively to cover her hand with his.

Sam took a deep breath and met his gaze bravely. 'Neither do you, Jack.' She saw the flicker of shock in his eyes before they settled on her with reluctant admiration.

'Touché.' Jack said wryly. He pointed at her. 'You are definitely you.'

Sam's lips quirked at the dry remark.

Jack sighed and gestured at her expressively. 'You suggested observing the black hole because that's who you are, Sam. You're innately curious about scientific stuff. It doesn't make you a bad person; it's just who you are.' He looked away from her. 'Just like I couldn't forgive Frank for what he did to me in Iraq because that's who I am.'

Sam assimilated what he had said to her and frowned. 'You're feeling guilty about not forgiving him after what he did to you?'

Her outrage comforted Jack in a weird way. 'He was my friend once.' He said simply. 'But I couldn't forgive him and even if we went back in time and did everything over, I still wouldn't forgive him.'

'Because that's not who you are.' Sam sighed in understanding. 'You still worked with him though.'

'Because that's what it took to get the job done.' Jack said, holding her gaze again.

She shivered.

'You're cold.' Jack said concerned. 'You should probably get inside.'

'Yeah…' Sam hesitated, torn on whether to ask him in. There wasn't anything wrong with inviting him just to talk, was there?

Jack read the conflict in her eyes and his heart started beating so loudly in his chest, he was sure she would hear it. He was her CO; he couldn't accept an invitation to go inside with her alone but if Sam needed to talk…he couldn't refuse her, could he?

His cell phone rang and broke the tense silence. He grabbed it and stabbed at the receive button. 'O'Neill.' He listened for a moment and sighed. 'OK, Sergeant. No, you just need to contact Doctor Jackson, Teal'c's with him. I'll contact Captain Carter.' He ended the call and turned to her with a rueful smile. 'Ah, that was the base. We're being recalled. It looks like SG6 have been taken hostage by that tribe Daniel discovered when he was with them.'

She smiled back at him a little sadly and settled back as he fired up the truck again. 'I guess we're heading back to the base then, sir.'

He nodded absently noting her use of 'sir' and pulled away, leaving her apartment building behind them. It was back to the base for both of them.


	36. Business as Usual

**Author's Note: **Team friendship.

**Holiday Recap: **_SG1 discover an old man called Machello on a planet along with many strange alien devices which he has invented. He invites Daniel to touch one and as they lay hands on it, it seems to shock them both. Machello is knocked unconscious. SG1 take him back to Earth. Daniel acts a little strangely and takes Janet's suggestion to go home and rest. Meanwhile, Machello awakes and informs them he is Daniel; he is able to back up his claims with information about the team – Machello is occupying Daniel's body and Daniel is occupying the dying Machello's. While an APB is issued for Daniel/Machello, SG1 retrieve the device from the planet that may have caused the body-switching. Unfortunately, Jack and Teal'c are also switched around much to their consternation; Jack has to learn meditation in order to rest and heal Teal'c's body._

_With Daniel/Machello found, and Machello/Daniel near death, Sam takes the former to meet the latter. Machello tells Daniel he deserves a new life after sacrificing his own to fighting the Goa'uld. Daniel tells Machello that he is no better than a Goa'uld and that Machello is robbing him of the opportunity to save Sha're. A distressed Daniel almost dies in Machello's ailing body and Machello tells Sam that he would swap places if he could but the device will only allow a one-way swap. Sam works out that by swapping them about in a different order, she can get the men into their own bodies. When order is restored, Machello thanks Daniel for his holiday before dying._

**Business As Usual**

'Good morning, campers!' Jack O'Neill's cheery greeting had both his male SG1 team-mates looking up from their morning dress routines.

Daniel Jackson stared at the Colonel suspiciously. 'You seem cheerful.' He commented warily.

'That's because I am, Daniel.' Jack allowed generously. He opened his locker and threw the newspaper he carried into the space before he started to strip. 'I'm me,' he added, 'you're you and Teal'c is,' he waved at the Jaffa who lifted an eyebrow in response, 'Teal'c.' He surreptitiously checked which colour the other two were decked out in and reached for the blue BDU to match.

'Yeah, yesterday was creepy.' Daniel agreed, as he returned his attention to tying his boot-laces.

'Indeed,' added Teal'c. He turned back to the mirror and continued to apply the decorative make-up to his eyes.

'I mean what crazy person invents a body-swapping machine anyway?' Jack said as he dressed.

'He'd been fighting the Goa'uld a long time, Jack.' Daniel said softly.

'So, dementia?' Jack asked bluntly.

Daniel sighed exasperated. 'He sacrificed his whole life to the fight, Jack. I think he just wanted a chance to live his life again without that. I mean, I'm not saying he was right, but I guess I understand…'

'I don't.' Jack said brusquely as he fastened up his pants. 'All I know is that I'm happy to be back in my own body.'

'As am I.' Teal'c said firmly.

'Oh, me too.' Daniel agreed. He put his glasses back on and ran a hand through his hair. 'Believe me waking up in Machello's body wasn't exactly something I wanted to happen. I was really hoping the whole thing was a bad dream.'

'There's that.' Jack said pulling on his boots. 'Thank God Carter worked that body-swapping thing out.'

'We all owe Captain Carter a large debt of gratitude.' Teal'c stated. He closed his locker seemingly done and ready for the day's activities.

'Both Doctor Fraiser and Sam were amazing.' Daniel agreed. 'If you think about it we're lucky Machello didn't choose Sam.'

'Well, why would he?' Jack said absently. 'She's a woman and he was a man.'

'But it would have been a great way to hide from the Goa'uld though.' Daniel pointed out. He closed his locker and retook his seat on the bench evidently waiting for Jack to finish dressing. 'Can you imagine if you and Sam had moved the device back on the planet instead of you and Teal'c? You would have been in…'

'Ah!' Jack snapped. He glared at Daniel. 'Don't even think about finishing that sentence. It was bad enough being in Teal'c and having to cope with Junior without…' he made a vague gesture. The thought that he and Sam might have changed places sent a chill down his spine. As close as he and Carter had gotten as team-mates, and he hoped as friends, he didn't think their working relationship would have withstood a body-swapping experience.

'It might have been interesting.' Daniel argued, teasing the older man mercilessly. 'You could have really found out what it's like being a woman.'

'I'm very happy being a man, Daniel,' Jack stated authoratively, 'and I doubt very much that Sam wants in my pants.' He slammed the locker door shut and turned around to face a surprised Teal'c and an open-mouthed Daniel. 'What?' He asked. 'What did I say?'

'That Sam didn't want in your pants.' Daniel repeated, trying to keep the grin off his face.

'No, I didn't.' Jack denied hurriedly. He couldn't have said that, could he?

'Yes, you did.' Daniel shot back, looking entirely too pleased with Jack's discomfort.

'You did in fact make such a statement, O'Neill.' Teal'c said, clasping his hands behind his back.

Jack thrust a hand through his greying hair, sending the strands awry. 'Well, I didn't mean _that_. I meant…'

'Yes, Jack,' Daniel's blue eyes twinkled back at him irrepressively, 'what did you mean exactly?'

Jack sighed heavily and glowered at the archaeologist. 'You know what I meant.' He shoved his hands in his pockets. 'Breakfast?'

Jack noticed the silent look Daniel and Teal'c exchanged and wondered if they were going to continue teasing him for his Freudian slip.

'Breakfast.' Daniel agreed cheerily, standing up.

Jack hid his sigh of relief and led the way out of the locker-room to the commissary. He grabbed his tray and helped himself to a bowl of Fruit Loops. He added an apple and a banana along with a mug of coffee. He headed for the tables and smiled at the sight of Sam already sat with Janet Fraiser. He slipped into an empty chair.

'Morning, Doctor.' He nodded at Fraiser and then smiled at Sam. 'Captain.'

'Colonel.' Sam replied formally, although the smile and the welcome in her blue eyes made Jack want to grin back unreservedly.

Janet waved her spoon at Jack and reminded him they weren't alone. 'Morning, sir. How are you feeling today?'

'Why do I get the feeling that's a loaded question with you, Doc?' Jack asked, digging into his cereal.

Janet's lips twitched. 'I admit I do have a little professional curiosity considering you occupied Teal'c's body for a large period of time.' She acknowledged Daniel and Teal'c with a nod as they joined the table.

'I'm curious, sir.' Sam said. 'Teal'c mentioned you had to perform a meditation…' her blue eyes flickered to the Jaffa.

'Kel no reem.' Teal'c supplied helpfully.

Jack took his time swallowing his food. 'It went fine.' He said defensively. He threw Daniel a look that he hoped clearly said 'help'.

Daniel sighed but he turned to smile shyly at Janet. 'I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did to help keep me, well,' he waved his knife at the petite brunette, 'Machello and me really, alive.'

'Just doing my job.' Janet said brightly. 'But thank you.' She sighed and pushed her bowl away. 'I have to admit it was touch and go there.'

'Really?' Daniel said absently; he was focused on drizzling some syrup over his pancakes.

'Hmmm,' Janet picked up her coffee, 'we thought we'd lost you at one point. You actually flat-lined.'

Daniel's head snapped up in surprise.

Jack nudged him. 'Daniel. Syrup.'

The archaeologist righted the syrup and looked at his drenched breakfast. He shrugged and dug in anyway.

Jack gave a mock shudder.

Daniel made a face at him and turned his attention back to the doctor. 'When did that happen?'

'Just after you talked to Machello.' Janet said quickly.

'So I actually, you know, died?' Daniel asked incredulous.

Janet shook her head. 'Technically, your heart stopped beating but we were able to restart it very quickly.'

'I don't remember that.' Daniel admitted before he shovelled another forkful of pancake into his mouth.

'You were unconscious immediately afterwards.' Sam informed him. She laid her knife and fork neatly on the empty plate in front of her and reached for her juice. 'We were very worried we wouldn't be able get you all back in your own bodies before it happened again.'

'It must have been weird talking to Machello.' Janet commented. 'Seeing your own body and hearing somebody else talk with your voice.'

'Weird doesn't begin to cover it.' Jack grumbled. He frowned. 'What happened to the body-swapping doohickey anyway?'

'General Hammond's ordered it destroyed, sir.' Sam explained. 'He didn't want any further accidents.'

'A sensible precaution.' Teal'c noted.

Jack pointed his spoon at Sam. 'Well, thank you for working out how to get us all back in our own bodies.'

'I'm just glad Machello gave me the pertinent information in time, sir.' Sam said, dismissing the praise with a wave of her hand. 'I was getting nowhere with that computerised notebook we found. Machello's code is…unique.'

'Want some help deciphering it?' Daniel offered around a mouthful of pancake.

She beamed at him. 'That would be great.'

Jack scraped his bowl clean and set it aside as he peeled the banana. 'So, if you died when you were in Machello's body,' he began as he focused his brown eyes on Daniel, 'doesn't that make it what…the fourth or fifth time you've died?'

Daniel scowled at him. 'I've only died twice.' He responded tersely. 'Once on Ra's ship and once with the Nox.'

'And the time with the fish guy.' Jack retorted.

'You thought I was dead. I wasn't dead.' Daniel shot back.

'And on Klorel's ship.'

'Again, you only _thought_ I was dead.' Daniel gestured at him with his fork sending tiny droplets of syrup across the table.

Jack gestured with the half-eaten banana. 'And in the mine on…what was that planet again?'

'P3R636, sir.' Sam supplied helpfully.

'Thank you, Carter.' Jack said. 'P3R636.'

'Injured.' Daniel glared at the Colonel. 'Not dead.'

'So, that's what the fifth time?' Jack said.

'I've only died twice.' Daniel said exasperated. 'Maybe three times if I technically died when I was in Machello.'

Jack smirked at him and popped the last of the banana in his mouth. Daniel's face smoothed into a mischievous expression and Jack felt his stomach plummet. This wasn't going to be good, he realised.

'Sam,' Daniel began conversationally, 'we were talking before about how it was fortunate you didn't touch the machine instead of Teal'c and get swapped with Jack.'

Sam blanched and choked on her juice. She coughed and Daniel apologetically patted her on the back. 'Yes,' she gasped, 'fortunate.'

Jack glared at the younger man. Daniel's intent might have been to have embarrassed Jack but it looked to the Colonel like the Captain was mortified by the idea of body-swapping with him. There again, why wouldn't she be? Jack mused. The thought of swapping bodies with his CO didn't exactly thrill him either.

The base alarm sounded.

Jack looked heavenward. 'What now?' He pushed his chair back and headed for the stairs; the rest of his team were behind him. They entered the control room at a run.

'Report.' Jack ordered briskly.

Lieutenant Simmons turned to look at the Colonel nervously. 'We have an unscheduled incoming wormhole.'

'Who's off-world?' Jack asked. He nodded at the base commander as General Hammond joined them.

'Currently just SG2, sir. They're scheduled to return in thirty minutes.' Simmons confirmed. 'We are receiving a signal.' He frowned as the IDC programme failed to recognise the transmission.

'There is data in the transmission.' Sam frowned and tapped an instruction into the computer. 'It's an audio message.'

The wormhole disengaged and Jack looked to Sam for an explanation; he noticed he wasn't the only one; practically the whole control room had their attention pinned to the Captain.

She shook her head. 'I'm sorry, sirs. This may take a while to clean up.'

'You have an hour, Captain.' Hammond ordered before he headed back up the stairs to his office.

Jack gave Sam a sympathetic glance as the Captain turned to her monitor and began work.

o-O-o

'You needed my help?'

Sam looked up with a smile at Daniel. 'Yeah. We've got the transmission cleaned up but I can't understand it.' She moved to a station at the back of the control and pressed a button. A garbled voice came out of the speakers. She looked at Daniel anxiously. 'What do you think?'

'I think I recognise the language.' Daniel frowned and gestured at the machine. 'Can you play it again?'

Sam nodded. She reset the machine.

'What's going on?' Jack asked as he walked into the control room with Teal'c.

'I cleaned up the audio recording, sir.' Sam explained as she pressed the play button again.

The harsh voice spoke again.

'That is Goa'uld.' Teal'c said warily.

'That's what I thought.' Daniel admitted as he wrapped his arms around his torso.

Sam gestured. 'Can you translate it?'

'I think so. Can you replay it?' Daniel reached for a spare pen and notepaper on the desk and started scribbling as Sam played the recording for a third time. 'It's a gate address, I think.' He frowned, his brow furrowing as he tried to make out the words. Teal'c leaned over and made suggestions until they finally had the full message.

'Meet at this address.' Daniel pointed at the symbols he had written down.

'OK,' Jack said slowly as he rocked back on his heels, 'meet who?'

'They don't actually identify themselves.' Daniel admitted. His eyes widened and snapped to Sam's excitedly as hers snapped to his.

'You think?' Sam wondered out loud.

'Think what?' Jack asked blankly, looking from Sam to Daniel and back.

'They did say they would call us.' Daniel replied to Sam, ignoring Jack.

'Who?' Jack asked frustrated.

Teal'c raised a questioning eyebrow.

'And who else would know our radio frequencies?' Daniel continued oblivious.

'Will somebody tell me who we're talking about here?' Jack snapped.

'The Tok'ra, sir.' Sam said apologetically. 'My Dad did say they would contact us.' She slid off the stool as Hammond approached.

'Report, Captain.' Hammond ordered.

'Sir, the transmission was an audio recording in Goa'uld which we've translated. It's a request for a meeting at a set of coordinates.' Sam said briskly.

'We think it could be the Tok'ra.' Daniel added. 'They told us they would call and they would know our radio frequencies through Sam's Dad.' He pushed his glasses up his nose.

'But the voice on the recording isn't your father?' Hammond asked Sam.

'No, sir.' She agreed.

'If this is the Tok'ra why would they not identify themselves?' Teal'c asked sombrely.

Jack stabbed a finger at the Jaffa. 'Good point, Teal'c. That's a good point.'

'It's possible they didn't want to make an explicit identification in case the transmission was intercepted.' Daniel argued. 'Surely the fact that they're using our radio frequencies has to suggest they have some intimate knowledge of us? That they know us in some way?'

'Colonel?' Hammond turned to Jack for a recommendation.

Jack sighed. 'It could be an ambush, sir.'

'Oh, come on, Jack…' Daniel began passionately.

'But,' Jack said loudly, silencing the other man, 'it could also be the Tok'ra.' He held Hammond's pale blue eyes. 'There's really only one way to find out for certain, sir.'

Hammond nodded in agreement; the only way to know for certain was to attend the meeting. 'I'm not keen on sending any team into an ambush.' He said authoratively. He held up a hand before Daniel could protest. 'We'll send a probe. If things check out with the planet, then I'll consider it.'

A few minutes later, Sam finished the modifications on the MALP. Her team-mates turned anxiously to her as she re-entered the control room.

She nodded at General Hammond. 'We're ready, sir.'

'Dial it up, Lieutenant.' Hammond instructed.

Simmons acknowledged the order and entered the address into the computer. SG1 waited impatiently as the gate spun and the chevrons locked one by one. The wormhole exploded in a blue and white swoosh before it settled back into the glistening puddle. The MALP headed up the ramp and into the horizon.

'We're receiving telemetry, sir.' Simmons confirmed.

'On the monitor, son.' Hammond ordered.

A picture of a sandy planet flickered into place. There was no sign of life around the gate.

'There doesn't seem any sign of an ambush.' Daniel noted, waving at the screen.

'The purpose of an ambush is to take your enemy unawares.' Teal'c pointed out.

Jack hid a smile. 'It does look clear, sir.'

'Atmosphere and weather conditions check out, sirs.' Sam added as she examined the rest of the data streaming in from the MALP's sensors.

Hammond sighed. 'What are your thoughts, Captain?'

'Sir?' Sam asked nervously.

'Does it look familiar?' Hammond asked waving a hand at the monitor. 'Do you remember it at all?'

Sam stared at the monitor unsettled by the question; her ability to access the memories of the Tok'ra symbiote she had been host to was limited and in all honesty she didn't want to try. As she'd confided in Jack just after the business with the black hole, she was very sick of being treated like a freak.

'Take your time, Sam.' Jack's hushed words had her looking at him briefly, and as she took in the confidence and encouragement in the depths of his brown eyes, she realised he was also thinking about their conversation. She nodded and shifted her gaze back to the monitor. She shook her head. 'No, sir. There's nothing. General, if this is the Tok'ra and we don't go…'

Hammond looked over at Jack.

'I recommend SG1 go ahead with the meeting, sir.' Jack said formally.

'OK, but I'm assigning SG3 to go along as back-up…'

'With respect, sir, I think SG1 should go alone.' Jack shrugged. 'If this is an ambush, I think it would be best to restrict the number of potential hostages and if this is the Tok'ra, well,' he sent Sam an apologetic look, 'I think it would be best to restrict the number of potential hostages.'

Sam's lips twitched as she remembered how they'd been held prisoner on their last visit to the Tok'ra base. She ducked her head and missed the exasperated look Hammond shot Jack.

'Fine, Colonel.' Hammond nodded at the group. 'Gear up, SG1.'

The change into desert fatigues and equipment was swift, and they were soon in the gate room ready to embark. Hammond gave them the go ahead and Jack nodded at Teal'c and Daniel to go first. He paused with Sam just in front of the wormhole, the blue casting a strange and eerie light over their faces.

'You OK, Carter?' He asked quietly.

'I guess I'm a little nervous at seeing the Tok'ra again, sir.' Sam admitted.

Jack gave her a lop-sided smile. 'You never know; it could be Dad.'

He stepped through before she could reply but she was grinning as she followed him, and hoping he was right.


	37. Mixed Emotions

**Author's Note:** Team friendship with emphasis on Sam/Daniel friendship and Jack/Teal'c friendship. Daniel/Sha're.

**Serpent's Song Recap: **_SG1 await the arrival of the Tok'ra on a planet after receiving a cryptic message. Suddenly, a Death Glider crashes nearby after taking fire from another. The pilot is Apophis who asks for their help. As more gliders approach, Jack orders the team back through the gate with their injured Goa'uld enemy. Apophis is rushed to the OR and Janet later confirms that the Goa'uld is dying. The pictures of the Goa'uld cause Sam to have a flashback to the Ashrak's attack on her and Jolinar; Apophis was tortured in the same way. They discover that Apophis was being chased by a Goa'uld called Sokar, the original God of Death. Apophis taunts Daniel with the knowledge that he loves Ammonet, whose host is Daniel's wife, Sha're, and refuses to reveal his Queen's location._

_The Tok'ra, in the shape of Martouf, do actually make contact to warn them about Sokar but it is too late…the Goa'uld begins an attack by heating the iris with a particle beam through an incoming wormhole. As the SGC struggles to keep cool, Sam creates a quick dialling programme, Teal'c and Apophis exchange words and the host of Apophis appears. Sokar's wormhole disengages and Sam's programme manages to get an outgoing wormhole established. Apophis dies; his host survives for a little while and Daniel does an Egyptian death ritual to comfort the host as he too dies. They return the body through the wormhole to Sokar. Martouf tells them that Sokar will be able to revive Apophis in a sarcophagus and continue to torture him. The Tok'ra say goodbye; they give the SGC a Tollan communication device to reach them in case of emergency and are given a GDO in return. Jack watches as Sam says goodbye to the Tok'ra._

**Mixed Emotions**

The wormhole disappeared and Samantha Carter heaved a sigh of relief. The visit from the Tok'ra had left her confused again, she thought sadly. Her time as a Tok'ra host had been brief but she still carried the memories and latent feelings of the symbiote, Jolinar and spending time with Jolinar's mate, Martouf and his symbiote, Lantash, had stirred everything up again. It was crazy, she mused, to feel such a bond with and a strong sense of love for someone, well, two someones, who she really didn't know at all.

'Carter.' Jack O'Neill's quiet prompt beside her had her turning startled to look at her CO. She had left him in the control room while she had demonstrated the GDO device to the Tok'ra.

'Sorry, sir. I was thinking.' Sam fell into step beside him as he led the way out of the gate room and made for the elevator.

Jack waited until they were safely in the privacy of the empty compartment before he turned to her again. 'You OK?' He shoved his hands in his pockets.

'Yes, sir.' Sam replied.

'Because you seemed a little distracted back there,' Jack noted, rocking back on his heels as his guarded brown eyes met hers.

Sam ducked her head and clasped her hands behind her back; an unconscious mimic of their Jaffa team-mate. She could feel the heat of her blush in her cheeks. 'It's fine, sir. I can handle it.'

'I wasn't suggesting you couldn't, Captain.' Jack replied, registering the defensive edge to her words. 'Look, Sam,' he tried another tactic, 'the whole last day can't have been easy for you; waiting for the Tok'ra only for Apophis to show up, that flashback you had of the Ashrak attack, the Tok'ra actually showing up…' he sighed at her set expression. 'I guess I just want you to know that…well,' he stumbled over his words, 'all I mean is that…if you want to talk, not that you would need to, but if you do…' He trailed away, frustrated with his own lack of eloquence.

Her blue eyes softened. 'Thank you, sir.' She smiled at Jack. 'Martouf was able to tell me how my Dad was doing.'

'And how is Dad?' Jack said brightly, seizing on the subject with enthusiasm.

'Good.' Sam said quickly. 'Apparently, he's already getting involved with the Council and Martouf said that he was teaching them Earth customs.'

'Should we be worried?' Jack commented lightly.

She gave a breezy laugh. 'Maybe.'

He nodded; satisfied that she'd lost the slightly haunted look in her eyes. 'You think you can work out how that Tollan communication device works?'

'I think so.' Sam said confidently. 'Daniel did see how the Tollan used it to contact the Nox so I think we should be able to figure it out.'

'Where did Teal'c and Daniel go anyway?' Jack wondered out loud.

Sam frowned. 'I don't know.' She bit her lip.

'What?' Jack asked.

'It's just…' Sam sighed, 'when I went to tell Daniel about identifying the radiation signature as the same as the box we gave to the Tok'ra, he was talking with Apophis and it looked pretty intense.'

'Intense?' Jack pressed.

'I don't know, sir,' Sam admitted, 'he just didn't seem very Daniel-like.' The small furrow that appeared between her brows gave away her agitation.

'Snake-boy did steal his wife, Carter.' Jack noted. 'I'd be pissed.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam frowned. 'I don't think it was easy for Teal'c either.'

'Yeah.' Jack murmured, wincing.

'We should check on them, sir.' Sam suggested.

'Yeah.' Jack agreed with a sigh of weary acceptance. 'We should.' He gestured at Sam. 'You take Daniel and I'll take Teal'c.'

'Right, sir.' Sam frowned as the elevator came to a stop at the wrong floor and she absently wondered whether either she or the Colonel had actually chosen a floor when they had entered.

'Your floor, Carter?' Jack waved at the open doors.

'No, sir.' She pressed the button to be taken to Daniel's office.

Jack recognised the floor level she had chosen and sighed. 'So where do you think Teal'c will be?'

'His quarters?' Sam suggested. The elevator slid to a halt and she nodded at her CO. 'Good luck, sir.'

'Thanks, Carter.' Jack said dryly.

Her lips twitched as the doors slid shut and he disappeared from view. She made her way quickly down the corridor to Daniel's office. She slowed as she approached the open doorway. She placed a hand on the doorframe and leaned in, frowning at the dim light given off by the single desk lamp that was lit. The rest of the room was shadowed and in darkness. She peered around but she couldn't see the archaeologist. She was about to leave when her ears picked up a vague rustling of clothing in the far corner.

'Daniel?' She called out softly.

There was silence.

She wondered if she had misheard and was about to turn away when her ears picked up on something else; a muffled sob. 'Daniel?' Her eyes narrowed on the corner and faintly she picked out her team-mate. Daniel was curled up in a ball with his arms over his bowed head.

Sam stepped inside and closed the door behind her quietly. She crossed over to the corner and slowly sat down beside the archaeologist. She placed a tentative hand on his arm. He turned to her so suddenly she was taken aback as his arms clamped around her tightly and he sobbed against her shoulder.

'It's OK.' She murmured gently. 'It's OK.' There was nothing she could do but hold onto him.

Time passed and Sam was acutely aware of Daniel's sobs lessening until finally he subsided with a sigh. He didn't raise his head and she stroked his hair softly.

'He wouldn't tell me.' Daniel said quietly.

She strained to hear him; his words were muffled into her shirt. 'He wouldn't tell you what, Daniel?'

'Where she was.' Daniel expanded. 'And now I've really lost her.'

Sam swallowed hard at the raw pain in his voice. On one level she was aware that Daniel's primary reason for his involvement with the Stargate programme was his search for Sha're. She was reminded again of how passionately Daniel had told the alien Machello that he would find her; Daniel was a man still very much in love with his wife.

Her own admittedly brief memories of Sha're were of a sweet, lovely woman who was equally very much in love with her husband. She had learnt of Sha're's feisty nature and independence of spirit through Daniel's stories of how his wife had helped lead the initial uprising on Abydos against Ra. Given the patriarchal nature of the Abydonian society, Sha're had Sam's admiration. More, his telling of Sha're's strength the last time he had seen his wife when Sha're had taken refuge on Abydos during a pregnancy that had forced the Goa'uld symbiote she carried, Ammonet, to remain dormant in order to protect the child, had earned the Abydonian woman Sam's respect. Her own brief experience as a host had been terrifying; she could only imagine the horrors the other woman was enduring.

'Just because Apophis was captured by Sokar, Daniel, it doesn't mean that Ammonet had the same fate.' Sam assured him.

'He wouldn't tell me where she was.' Daniel repeated. His hand swiped at his damp face.

'We'll find her, Daniel.' Sam promised him softly. 'Nobody's going to stop looking just because Apophis is dead.'

Daniel shifted away from her. He settled back against the wall and lifted up his glasses to rub at the moisture on his face with the back of his sleeve. He finally put his glasses back on and blinked at Sam wearily, his blue eyes rimmed with red. 'I'm sorry.'

'There's no need to apologise.' Sam admonished him. She reached out and squeezed his hand. 'You're entitled to be upset, Daniel.'

He shook his head and rested it on the wall, closing his eyes. 'He kept taunting me.'

She didn't know what to say and could only rub her fingers helplessly against his.

He jerked his hand away as he groaned and lowered his head to his knees. 'God, I was so stupid.'

'Daniel…'

His eyes snapped to hers. 'I told him I took the child; Sha're's baby.'

'Oh.' Sam made a face. That wasn't good news.

'How could I have been so stupid? I mean, if Sokar can revive him and he lives…' Daniel's head slumped back against the wall again. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid.' He muttered harshly, his head banging on the wall with each word.

'Daniel.' Sam grabbed hold of his hand and forced him into looking at her. 'You're not stupid. You couldn't have known.'

Her team-mate sighed and shook his head again. 'I was so sure he was going to die and,' tears sprang into his eyes again, 'he wouldn't tell me where she was. I just wanted to hurt him.' He laughed humourlessly. 'I even threatened to kill him.'

Sam found herself without words again. She could believe Daniel had meant it; she'd seen him shoot up a tank of infant Goa'uld once; the compassionate, kind Daniel who was her friend replaced by the angry, bitter husband who had lost his wife. It was difficult sometimes to reconcile the fact that they were the same man.

'He told me…' Daniel took a breath, 'Apophis told me he loved her.'

'Really?' Sam blurted out.

'I told him I didn't think so but I guess that's possible, isn't it?' Daniel mused. 'He really could love her.' He looked over at her. 'I mean, if he loved her, really loved her, he would protect her, wouldn't he? He'd treat her well and…'

'It's possible.' Sam quickly agreed. If it helped Daniel to think that Sha're had been treated well then...

'I mean if the Tok'ra can take mates like Martouf and Jolinar then maybe the Goa'uld can…' Daniel stopped as he saw Sam wince. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to…' he gestured at her.

She shook her head. 'It's OK.' Jolinar's relationship with Martouf had been in her official report from their first meeting with the Tok'ra, although she had omitted how she felt being around him. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rubbed them.

Daniel rubbed his nose as his mind shifted from his own day to consider Sam's. 'So, how are things with you?'

'I'm OK.' Sam said automatically.

He looked at sceptically.

'You know when we got the original radio transmission and we thought it was the Tok'ra, I'd hoped…,' she sighed, 'I wanted to see my Dad.'

'Well, that's only natural.' Daniel said. 'You've been worried about him.'

'A little.' Sam admitted. 'But, then, when it was Apophis…' She shrugged. 'Martouf said my Dad's doing OK.'

'Well, that's good, right?' Daniel asked, searching her thoughtful expression.

'I don't know.' She gestured at him. 'I guess I just wish it had been my Dad today and not Martouf.'

'I thought you'd be happy to see him.'

'I was but that's the weird thing.' Sam said. 'When he walked through the Stargate, I felt this rush of…of happiness but it wasn't really me. It was my memories of him from Jolinar.' She rested her chin on her knees.

'She obviously loved him a great deal.' Daniel murmured gently. 'So what do you feel about him?' He prompted as Sam fell silent.

'I don't know.' Sam said. 'You know when Lantash was telling us the Tok'ra couldn't protect us from Sokar and we couldn't expect them to?'

'I remember.' Daniel nodded.

'I felt…annoyance.'

Daniel laughed.

She smiled weakly. 'I think that's the first time I've really felt something myself for Martouf and Lantash.' She groaned. 'I'm terrible.'

'I think we were all annoyed,' Daniel reassured her, 'and when you think about it, it's a good sign.'

She looked at him quizzically in the poor light.

'You're starting to differentiate between how Jolinar used to feel about Martouf and how you feel.' He pointed out.

'True.' Sam squeezed his hand and let go of it. 'It's been one hell of day for everyone, huh?' She waved at Daniel. 'The Colonel went to check on Teal'c.'

Daniel looked momentarily confused about why Jack would want to check on Teal'c before the obvious answer came to him. 'Oh. _Oh_.' He smiled sheepishly. 'I have been wrapped up in myself, haven't I?'

'You have a good reason to be a little wrapped up.' Sam pulled a small face. 'I haven't exactly been unwrapped myself.' She fiddled with her boot laces and her eyes flickered over to Daniel. 'You want to go and find Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill?'

'Yeah.' Daniel pulled out a handkerchief and blew into it. 'I should probably go wash up first.'

'Come on.' Sam pushed off the floor and helped pull Daniel to his feet.

He kept hold of her hands for a moment. 'Thanks.'

She smiled at him warmly and he let go.

'So where do you think they'll be?' Sam asked as they opened the office door and walked out into the brightly lit corridor, blinking slightly.

'Well, what's Jack's usual answer to a bad day?' Daniel replied.

They looked at each other and grinned.

'Cake.' They said in unison.

o-O-o

Jack knocked on the door to Teal'c's quarters and stepped back. He frowned at the closed door. Maybe the Jaffa wasn't in his quarters, he mused as he shifted his weight restlessly from one foot to the other. He knew if it were him that he would want to pound on something. A passing Airman gave him a quizzical look and Jack glared at him. The young man hurried on. Jack sighed. Maybe he ought to check the gym. He was about to turn away when the door opened.

Teal'c filled the doorway. 'O'Neill.'

'Teal'c.' Jack responded guardedly. 'You have a minute?'

Teal'c stepped back allowing Jack to enter. The Colonel came to a confused halt in the centre of the room; the Jaffa had lit practically every candle in the place. It crossed Jack's mind that it was probably a fire hazard.

'Sorry.' Jack murmured. 'Were you about to kel no thingy?' He waved a hand at Teal'c as the Jaffa closed the door.

'I was attempting to do so.' Teal'c admitted.

'Do you want me to…' Jack jerked his thumb at the door. Teal'c had recently explained how the meditation helped his symbiote heal his body and Jack didn't want to get in the way of that.

Teal'c inclined his head. 'That will be unnecessary, O'Neill.' His eyes darkened. 'I have been unable to achieve kel no reem. I believe my symbiote is most distressed at the death of Apophis.'

'Actually, that's why I wanted to come talk to you.' Jack admitted. He pulled out a chair from the desk and sat down.

Teal'c sank onto the end of the bed and looked expectantly at the Colonel.

Jack cleared his throat. 'How are you doing with…' he searched for an appropriate euphemism and pulled a face when his mind failed to supply one, 'all this?'

'I do not understand your question, O'Neill.'

Jack pressed his lips together and examined Teal'c's face; there were times when the Jaffa did kid around about not understanding the subtleties of the language and Jack wondered if this was one of them. If it was, there was no clue of it in Teal'c's features and Jack sighed. 'How are you doing with the death of Apophis?'

Teal'c arched an elegant eyebrow as though surprised at the question. 'I am most satisfied.' His face took on a supremely smug look.

'He was a God to you once.' Jack pointed out.

'A False God.' Teal'c rejoined. 'And now he is a dead False God.'

Jack nodded at the absolute certainty within the Jaffa's voice, the lack of anything but the satisfaction Teal'c had claimed he had felt. 'You don't think this Sokar guy will bring him back to life?'

'Indeed, Sokar is likely to revive Apophis to torture him many times, but it is unlikely that he will ultimately allow Apophis to live.' Teal'c said solemnly.

'Well,' Jack said brightly, 'I guess that about covers it.' He stood up.

'There is another matter we should discuss, O'Neill.'

Jack looked at his friend questioningly.

'With Apophis now dead, the possibility exists that I may return to Chulak without reprisal.' Teal'c said quietly.

Jack sat back down abruptly, taken aback by Teal'c's words. That possibility had never crossed Jack's mind. 'Really?' He blurted out.

'It would be difficult,' Teal'c allowed, 'but without Apophis I believe my fellow Jaffa would be more open to my return.'

'I see.' Jack wondered what to say. He didn't want to lose Teal'c; apart from the obvious advantage of having a warrior like Teal'c in the team, Jack didn't want to lose the Jaffa who had become a close friend to him. He figured Daniel and Sam would also be upset to see the big guy leave.

'It may even be possible for Drey'auc and Rya'c to return with me,' Teal'c continued, 'for us to live as a family once more.'

Jack's heart ached a little; sadness and envy at his own loss. He had once had the family Teal'c had; a wife and a son. How could he deny Teal'c the opportunity to be reunited with his?

'However,' Teal'c murmured, 'I am not unaware that our work is not yet done. Sokar lives as do many other Goa'uld. I stayed once before for such a reason when I believed Apophis had perished on the mother-ship we destroyed.'

'That's true.' Jack jumped on the Jaffa's statement eagerly. 'I mean, there's a lot of Goa'uld. You know,' he gestured, 'out there.'

'Indeed.' Teal'c responded.

Jack shifted awkwardly in his chair and sighed heavily. He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, clasping his hands together, as he met Teal'c's dark gaze. 'What do you want to do?'

The muscle in Teal'c's jaw clenched; a sign of how difficult a question it was for the Jaffa. 'I do not know.' He admitted finally.

Jack nodded slowly. He'd be conflicted if he had to make the choice, Jack mused. Continue fighting for the greater good or personal happiness? It was never an easy decision to make for anyone, especially when the individual involved had a highly evolved sense of honour. In his case there wasn't really a choice to be made; he had no family and he was responsible for Earth attracting the attention of the Goa'uld in the first place by killing Ra. Teal'c, on the other hand…

'Maybe,' Jack said carefully, 'it just comes down to your reasons for being here, Teal'c.'

Teal'c blinked at him. 'I had no place else to go, O'Neill, once I had helped free you and the rest of the prisoners on Chulak.'

'I was thinking of the broader reason.' Jack said, trying to keep his frustration out of his voice. 'You know, ensuring your son didn't live as a slave…freeing your people.'

Teal'c looked at him for a long moment.

'Now I know you could go back to Chulak and continue to fight for those goals, Teal'c, but how much support would you have, really?' Jack continued. 'I mean, Bra'tac only managed to scare up a couple of allies amongst your fellow Jaffa when we were on a Goa'uld mother-ship full of Jaffa. And then there's a question of weapons and supplies.'

'You speak wisely, O'Neill.' Teal'c admitted thoughtfully. 'I know there is much work yet to be done to undo the centuries of indoctrination that my people have been subjected to by the Goa'uld.'

'Then, stay.' Jack said. 'Let us help you.'

Teal'c remained silent considering Jack's words.

Jack waved at him. 'Look, Teal'c, only you can make this decision. All I want you to know is that if you did leave, well, I'd, uh, I'd miss you.' He determinedly met Teal'c's surprised gaze. 'And I know Carter and Daniel would feel the same way but we'd all understand you wanting to be with your family, Teal'c.' He stood up. 'Why don't I leave you to it?'

'There is no need. I have made my decision, O'Neill.' Teal'c said, getting to his feet.

Jack looked at him hopefully.

'If my son is to be truly free, it is not only Apophis who must die,' Teal'c began. 'All the Goa'uld must be destroyed.' He met Jack's anxious gaze. 'I will continue to fight by your side to achieve this.'

Jack grinned. 'That's good to hear, Teal'c.'

Teal'c bowed his head. 'If I had left, I would also have missed Captain Carter and Daniel Jackson.'

Jack frowned as he realised Teal'c had excluded him in the statement and he stared hard at his friend. Teal'c looked guilelessly back at him. Jack sighed at the Jaffa's humour. 'Funny, Teal'c.'

Teal'c's dark eyes gleamed momentarily with amusement.

'Cake?' Jack asked, indicating the door with his head.

Teal'c nodded in acquiescence and the two men made their way to the commissary. They picked up their food; chocolate cake for Jack and a tray of fruit and a couple of sandwiches for Teal'c. They sat down at their usual table and began eating.

Jack had barely taken a couple of mouthfuls when he spotted Daniel and Sam entering the mess. He waved at them in acknowledgement and was pleased to see them wave back. A few minutes later, they joined him and Teal'c at the table; Daniel took the seat next to the colonel and Sam slid in beside Teal'c.

Jack looked with interest at Daniel's peach pie.

Daniel sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. 'You want some?'

'I'll give you half the chocolate cake.' Jack offered as he eagerly pushed his plate across to take half the pie.

They exchanged food and they all settled into eating for a few minutes.

'So, what do we think of this guy Sokar?' Jack asked casually.

'He is a most dangerous opponent.' Teal'c said.

'That particle beam he used on the iris is incredible.' Sam added. 'We have nothing like that.'

'Could we build something like that?' Daniel asked interested.

'Why would you build something like that?' Jack replied before Sam could. 'What would be the point?'

'It is advanced technology, Jack.' Daniel pointed out. 'Isn't that our mission?'

'Well, we're still a long way off being able to build one ourselves.' Sam answered hurriedly. 'Until today, most scientists didn't believe it could be done.' Her face creased in concentration. 'But Sokar has proven that it can be so it must just be a question of getting the math right. Of course, even if we understand the theory, the practicalities of building a particle beam generator are enormous and…'

'I'm sure you'll work it out.' Jack interjected, waving his fork at her across the table. 'Although I'm still not sure what you'd use the thing for.'

Sam hid a smile.

'Is it not a powerful weapon?' Teal'c picked up his second sandwich and looked in satisfaction at the turkey filling.

'I don't know.' Jack said. 'Can it do more than burn through an iris?'

'Well, sir,' Sam began.

'Rhetorical question.' Jack stopped her before she could get started. 'How did we get onto this anyway?'

'You inquired as to our opinion about the Goa'uld Sokar, O'Neill.' Teal'c replied.

'You know the stuff I told you earlier in the office barely touches the surface of the mythology about him.' Daniel said eagerly. It's fascinating, really…'

'Gah!' Jack closed his eyes briefly and reopened them to look at his amused team-mates. He glanced down at his empty plate with resignation. 'I'm going to need more cake.' He announced with all the authority befitting the leader of SG1.

Teal'c looked briefly at Daniel and Sam who smiled back at him, and then at Jack. His dark eyes gleamed mischievously. 'Indeed.'


	38. Kel Chak Mor

**Author's Note:** Teal'c/Team friendship with slight emphasis on Jack/Daniel friendship.

**One False Step Recap**: _The SGC are testing a new UAV as a long-range probe on an alien planet when it fails to respond and crashes into a plant. Hammond, Sam and Jack watch as a nude alien with strange white markings drags the UAV away. SG1 are deployed to retrieve it. They find a small village of huts with many aliens and are greeted with curiosity. They notice that the village is surrounded by smaller versions of the plant the UAV crashed into. After several attempts at communication, the aliens eventually do provide SG1 with the UAV but the aliens start to fall sick and SG1 believe that it may be their fault. Janet is called to the planet and one of the aliens is taken back to the SGC for tests. __Hammond__ is sympathetic but he notes that there is only so much they can do. Janet notes it is a wonder that they haven't run across the situation before. _

_Jack and Teal'c check out the next village and Jack starts to experience headaches and dizziness. When they return to the original village he and Daniel get into a heated argument for seemingly no reason beyond Daniel's wish to monitor the small plants. They return home and start to feel better until Daniel watches the video. Reviewing the tape, they find a sound hidden – too low for them to hear. Janet notes that exposure to the sound is making them sick but she wouldn't expect it to make the aliens sick as it's their planet. In comparing the original UAV data with the video they realise crashing the UAV caused a change in the sound; the change is making the aliens sick. _

_Sam rigs up a device to emit the same original sound on the planet and they retreat to a safe distance on Sam's suggestion as she notes she has a hunch. As they watch, the aliens gather and begin to hum, and the plants respond sprouting from the ground to full height and blooming with beautiful flowers. As Jack asks Sam how she knew, Sam confesses she talks to her plants. _

**Kel chak mor **

It was only years of training that prevented Teal'c from jumping nervously when Daniel Jackson sneezed violently. The Jaffa looked over at the young archaeologist and found him hunting through his vest pockets for a handkerchief as they continued to walk through the stark landscape back to the Stargate with the rest of their team-mates.

'Here.' Jack O'Neill proffered the tissue absently and Teal'c observed quietly how the small act elicited a knowing smile from Samantha Carter walking beside him. They all knew the Colonel packed the tissues every mission just for Daniel – not that he'd ever admit it.

'Thanks.' Daniel took his glasses off to rub at his tearing eyes. 'I think I need a different allergy treatment.'

'Actually, Daniel,' Sam said, 'it might just be the unusual nature of the plants on this planet that's causing the problem.'

Daniel nodded as he stuffed the tissue in a pocket. 'You're probably right. I'm just pleased we found out that my allergies aren't the reason why the aliens here fell sick.' He stumbled on the uneven ground and Teal'c reached out quickly to steady him. Daniel gave him a quick smile of thanks. 'It's a bit disconcerting to realise we could effectively do what happened when Europe discovered the Americas, and infect an entire population with some disease.'

Sam sighed. 'Janet was saying that it's a miracle that it hasn't happened so far. She was saying that she thinks it's because most of the human populations we meet were transplanted from Earth so…'

'So they're already carrying anti-bodies for most of the diseases?' Daniel finished. He fell into step beside her. 'That makes sense.'

'Still,' Sam continued, 'we almost managed to destroy an entire alien civilisation because our UAV crashed into one of their plants.'

Teal'c kept quiet; it was, he considered, a sobering thought.

'We couldn't have known, Captain.' Jack pointed out.

'Yes, sir,' Sam replied, 'but we could have still wiped out a whole planet with one benign action.'

'That's the risk we take.' Jack said pragmatically as he marched forward, seemingly intent on getting to the Stargate without any delay. Teal'c nodded in agreement.

'Yes, sir.' Sam sighed.

'At least we fixed what we did here.' Daniel said comfortingly. 'I guess that's all we can do in these situations is try to make right whatever we did wrong.' He gestured behind him. 'Your sound system is fantastic.'

'It has cured all the aliens.' Teal'c added.

Sam beamed at both of them.

Daniel suddenly frowned. 'What if it breaks down?'

'We're going to keep coming out and checking on it,' Sam assured him, 'and we think eventually the eco-system will recover and they won't need it.'

'Maybe there's another solution.' Daniel mused.

Sam looked over at him questioningly.

'Oh,' Daniel waved a hand at her, 'I was thinking Doctor Jefferson might want to come out and spend some time with the aliens as an anthropological study so she could watch the equipment and study the aliens.'

'What's to study?' Jack asked brusquely.

'Are they not a unique species, O'Neill?' Teal'c asked. The aliens were weird, in his opinion. Mostly naked and covered in some kind of white paint; they communicated very differently to humans and Jaffa.

'For all you know they could be the Furlings, Jack.' Daniel added; his irritation at the military man's dismissive attitude evident.

'Weren't you the one who said you'd had more interesting conversations with dogs?' Jack noted.

'That was before they demonstrated they understood what I was saying by bringing the UAV to us.' Daniel objected.

'They don't look an advanced civilisation that could help us fight the Goa'uld, Daniel.' Jack argued.

Daniel gestured wildly. 'That's just so typical of…'

'Captain Carter, may I ask you a question?' Teal'c spoke over the archaeologist without regret. He was beginning to think the underlying noise of the planet that had caused the two men to argue with each other furiously on their initial mission, was once again affecting his team-mates.

Sam turned to him surprised but nodded. 'Of course, Teal'c.'

'You spoke of talking to your plants,' Teal'c noted, 'I have not heard of this before.' He was truly fascinated at the idea.

'Well, many people believe that speaking with plants is beneficial and helps them grow.' Sam explained. She shifted her shoulders, easing the weight of the pack that she carried.

'I see.' Teal'c frowned at her evident discomfort. It hadn't been his intention to make her uncomfortable with his question.

'What do you talk to them about?' Daniel asked. His blue eyes gleamed with his natural curiosity.

Sam shrugged dismissively. 'Oh, you know. This and that.' Her eyes alighted on the Stargate with delight and she made a beeline for the DHD.

'Yes, but what exactly?' Daniel asked as he followed her.

'Yeah, what Carter?' Jack grinned at the annoyed look she shot him.

Teal'c suddenly understood why his female friend had wanted to avoid the conversation; it was a perfect teasing material, he realised in chagrin.

'Just stuff, sir.' Sam replied as she hit the symbols that would take them home.

'Ah, stuff.' Jack nodded sagely. 'Always important.'

'I was unaware you owned a plant, Captain Carter.' Teal'c said, trying to drag the conversation back on track as the wormhole blossomed outward before settling back into a blue puddle in the centre of the Stargate. 'I have not seen one in your home.'

'Well,' Sam headed for the event horizon as she sent the IDC, 'my last plant died and I decided not to replace it.' She admitted a little embarrassed. 'I'm never at home to look after it.'

'Perhaps it died because you weren't there to talk to it.' Daniel teased.

Jack snorted. 'Sure, it missed the technobabble.'

Sam repressed a sigh and stepped into the wormhole. Her male team-mates followed her. An instant later, they all reappeared on the ramp in the SGC.

Hammond nodded to them as the wormhole blinked out behind them and the iris slid shut. 'Successful mission, SG1?'

'Yes, sir.' Jack said cheerfully, removing his cap and gesturing with it. 'Very successful.'

Hammond gave a small smile. 'We'll debrief in one hour.' He disappeared back to the control room.

'I'm heading for the shower.' Sam muttered. She was already handing over her weapon to the waiting Airman and she headed off so swiftly, she left the rest of the team looking after her with surprise.

'I believe we have upset Captain Carter.' Teal'c observed as they made the three men made their way out of the gate room.

'Nah.' Jack shook his head. 'She knows we were only teasing.'

'Maybe Teal'c's right, Jack.' Daniel said. 'She did look a little…'

'Pissed?' Jack suggested when Daniel struggled to find a word.

'That.' Daniel sighed. 'You just had to make that technobabble crack, didn't you?'

Jack whirled around to glare at him and brought them all to a halt. 'Hey! I'm not the one who kept asking her what it was she talked about to her plants.'

'Perhaps there is a way we can apologise to Captain Carter.' Teal'c said, clasping his hands behind his back as he stepped in between the two humans and continued to walk down the corridor, forcing them to follow him.

'What did you have in mind, Teal'c?' Jack asked.

'A gift.' Teal'c suggested as they reached the elevator.

'We could buy her a plant.' Daniel said excitedly as he realised where Teal'c was going with his idea.

Teal'c bowed his head at the archaeologist. 'Indeed.'

o-O-o

Daniel's sneeze garnered the attention of an elderly couple stood next to him and a family a bit further down in the aisle at the plant nursery. He gave an apologetic smile as he concentrated on blowing his nose.

'I guess that stuff Fraiser gave you didn't work.' Jack commented as his eyes widened at the price of the orchid in front of them.

'She thinks that it'll work…' Daniel frowned realising he couldn't say the words 'on other planets' without being overheard. He didn't think anyone would notice except maybe to think he was crazy but still…

'Abroad?' suggested Jack sweetly.

'Yeah, abroad.' Daniel mumbled. He wrapped his arms around his chest and stared at the bright orangey-pink flower. 'You know, I don't think this is Sam's style.'

'You may have a point.' Jack noted with a sigh thinking of the young blonde Captain. 'Whose idea was this anyway?'

'Teal'c's.' Daniel immediately responded.

'Where is Teal'c?' Jack asked impatiently.

'I think we lost him in the fern section.' Daniel sighed. For someone as large and as noticeable as Teal'c, the Jaffa had a way of disappearing into the woodwork at times.

'Great.' Jack pushed a hand through his greying hair and looked around as though Teal'c would appear anyway.

Daniel sneezed again. 'I think I need a break from…' his hand waved at the surrounding plants. 'How about we head to the coffee shop next door?' His blue eyes gleamed hopefully at Jack.

Jack's expression brightened. 'Sure.' He started to pull Daniel along the gravel pathway.

'Shouldn't we get Teal'c?' Daniel asked.

'He'll find us.' Jack said confidently.

Daniel let Jack lead them into the shop and to a table where they both sat down. Within moments they had ordered coffee and pie. Jack leaned back in the uncomfortable wooden chair and stared at Daniel.

'What?' Daniel wondered from Jack's intent look if he had dirt on his face.

'I was just thinking about our…discussion back on…' Jack waved his hand.

'You mean our argument?' Daniel clarified bluntly.

'That.' Jack agreed. Look,' he leaned forward across the table, 'I know we argued because of the sound thing, obviously, because like we said, there was something…'

'Physically wrong with us.' They completed in unison.

Jack gave a quick smile and picked up the sugar shaker restlessly. 'So we're OK, aren't we?' He gestured between them.

'Sure.' Daniel frowned. 'Why? Do you think we're not?'

'No.' Jack immediately denied. 'No.' He cleared his throat. 'It was just…something Teal'c said.'

'Teal'c?' Daniel's eyes widened.

'I think he was just concerned we might have, may have, possibly, thought you know…' Jack waved the sugar shaker at Daniel, 'that the other person meant any of it. Some of it.' His eyes avoided Daniel's. 'Maybe.' He sat back again. 'Anyway, obviously we're OK and…' he finally looked at Daniel, 'and we're OK. So.'

Daniel frowned. 'Did you?' He asked bluntly.

'What?' Jack looked at him blankly.

'Mean any of it.' Daniel said. 'I mean you did say I was flaky.'

'You called me ignorant and condescending.' Jack shot back.

'Because you called me flaky.'

'Well, you are.' Jack said defensively. 'In a good way, and besides, I was under the influence of that sound thing.' He gestured with the sugar shaker, realised he still had hold of it and set it down.

'So was I.' Daniel retorted.

They glared at each other over the table.

Jack rubbed his hands through his hair. 'So. Not OK.'

Daniel sighed and crossed his arms. 'Why is this so important to you?'

Jack's eyebrows shot up. 'Oh, I don't know, Daniel, because we're on the same team and we have to trust each other with our lives.'

'I trust you.' Daniel responded immediately.

'But you don't think I trust you?' Jack said slowly. 'Is that it? I mean, this is kinda the second time you've…suggested…well, that you…'

Daniel's lips twitched as Jack's obvious discomfort but he was a little apprehensive because he had a feeling he knew what Jack was trying to say.

'…might have indicated that you don't feel I exactly, maybe, appreciate,' Jack winced, 'what you…' he gestured at Daniel, 'do.'

'The second time?' Daniel checked, trying to avoid the meat of the topic.

'You might have snapped that I didn't show you any respect back when you were under the influence of the…uh…sarcophagus.' Jack glanced around to see if anyone was listening. The only other occupants of the café were sat on the opposite side. They were a young couple and seemed engrossed in each other.

'Oh.' Daniel blinked. He shifted position on the wooden chair.

'It's just,' Jack began again, 'you know they say there's no smoke without fire and…' his voice trailed away and he stared at the table before raising his eyes back to the archaeologist.

Daniel sighed again. 'You did call me flaky, Jack.' He pointed out a second time.

'And I already said I was under the influence of the sound thing.' Jack insisted.

'No smoke without fire.' Daniel repeated, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Jack scowled at him. 'You're changing the subject.'

'No, I'm not.' Daniel argued.

'Yes, you are.' Jack shot back.

'No, I'm not.' Daniel insisted.

'Yes.' Jack rejoined again. 'You are.'

'No, I'm…' Daniel threw up his hands, 'this! This is what I'm talking about!'

'What?' Jack asked surprised.

'This!' Daniel gestured at the military man furiously.

Jack stared at him blankly.

Daniel sighed. He waited until the waitress had deposited the coffees and pie before he continued. 'I'm not changing the subject.' He insisted as he took a deep gulp of the hot liquid.

Jack forked up some pie and shoved it in his mouth to prevent himself from arguing again.

'It's not that I think you don't respect me,' Daniel looked down at the table, 'it's that, I maybe, sometimes, feel like you don't respect what I do.'

Jack lowered his fork. 'I respect what you do.' He held up his hand. 'I do.' His guarded brown eyes met Daniel's. 'I don't _understand_ what you do a lot of the time.'

Daniel raised his eyebrows knowingly.

'OK, some of the time,' Jack corrected, 'but I know,' he gestured at the archaeologist, 'that what you do is part of the reason why we're still alive.'

Daniel stared at him.

'Look, Daniel,' Jack said, an edge of exasperation creeping into his voice, 'I admit that I'm not exactly enthralled by massive texts on Egyptian mythology or Babylonian history like you are, and I struggle to understand what is so fascinating about a cracked pot that's been in the ground for a hundred years but I get that you see things in that stuff that helps us.' He forked up more pie. 'That's all that's important to me.'

'I think that's the problem.' Daniel admitted with a sigh.

'Excuse me?' Jack glowered at him.

Daniel waved his coffee mug at Jack. 'You're only interested in the answer and not how we get there.' He pointed out. 'I can't remember how many times you've cut me or Sam off half way through an explanation.'

'Because if I waited until you finished the explanation we'd be dead.' Jack pointed out with exaggerated patience.

'OK, but has it ever occurred to you how that makes Sam and me feel?' Daniel asked passionately. 'It makes us feel like you don't actually care.'

'I don't,' Jack began.

'See!' Daniel exclaimed.

'About the explanation.' Jack finished. 'I care that you came up with something that saves our butts!' He gestured at the younger man. 'Just because I'm not interested in _how_ you've come up with something doesn't mean that I don't think that what you do isn't important.'

'You haven't exactly hidden the fact that you don't like scientists, Jack,' Daniel gestured at him with the mug again, slopping coffee over the table.

'I like you and Carter.' Jack muttered.

Daniel mopped up the split coffee with a napkin to avoid answering and Jack watched him for a long moment.

The Colonel sighed. 'Daniel, we just come at things differently. That's all.'

'We come at everything differently.' Daniel noted, wrapping his hands around his mug.

'You say that like it's a bad thing.' Jack pointed his fork at him.

'Isn't it?' Daniel wondered out loud. 'I mean, if we don't agree on anything, how are we supposed to be friends?'

Jack pushed his empty plate to the side and picked up the coffee he had ordered. 'We agree on the important stuff.' He offered.

Daniel looked at him quizzically.

'Finding Sha're and Skaara. Defeating the Goa'uld.' Jack waved his mug at him. 'That the damn orchid is completely wrong for Sam.'

Daniel gave a small huff of laughter.

The two of them smiled at each other tentatively before Jack jerked his gaze to the mug.

'Look, I guess we're always going to drive each other a little nuts but I'm sorry for what I said before.' Jack mumbled.

'Me too.' Daniel replied quickly.

Jack nodded. 'So, we're OK?'

'We're OK.' Daniel agreed. He considered Jack for a moment. 'So…'

'So, we should probably go find Teal'c, right?' Jack asked briskly.

'Right.'

They paid for their coffees and left the snug warmth of the shop for the open air of the nursery. They found Teal'c, wrapped in a long overcoat and with a Panama hat pulled down over his Goa'uld brand, in front of a long section of small potted plants.

'I believe I have found the perfect plant for Captain Carter.' Teal'c announced as they approached. He lifted a small pot with a plant sporting purple coloured flowers and green leaves. He displayed it to his human team-mates.

Jack and Daniel looked at each other and looked back at Teal'c. 'Perfect.' They said in unison.

The Colonel reached out to take the plant. 'I'll go pay for this. Why don't you guys wait in the truck?'

Teal'c acquiesced with a slight inclination of his head and Daniel nodded. He fell into step beside the Jaffa as they walked back out to the car park.

'So,' Daniel began, 'what did you do to Jack?'

'I did nothing.' Teal'c denied.

Daniel sent the Jaffa a disbelievingly glance.

'You were brooding.' Teal'c noted. 'I simply informed O'Neill of this fact.'

'Thanks, Teal'c.' Daniel said dryly.

'I assume O'Neill spoke with you.' Teal'c stated firmly as they reached the truck.

Daniel's head snapped back around to his team-mate. 'You disappeared on purpose?'

Teal'c ignored the accusation and simply stared at Daniel.

'Yes,' Daniel admitted, 'Jack and I had a coffee and talked it through. Well,' he smiled, 'talked it through as much as Jack talks anything through.'

'On Chulak, it would have been required for you to resolve your differences through the ritual of Kel chak mor.' Teal'c noted.

'Kel chak mor?' Daniel queried, his curiosity stirring.

'I believe it is similar to your sport of wrestling.' Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back.

'I think I'll stick with talking.' Daniel muttered.

'A wise choice.' Teal'c looked over at Daniel smugly.

'You were kidding me?' Daniel's voice rose in indignation.

'Indeed.' Teal'c confirmed. He waited a heart-beat. 'Kel chak mor involves combat with many knives.'

o-O-o

'I'm not sure this is a good idea.' Daniel whispered.

'Daniel, she's gone for the day.' Jack said in his normal voice. 'We're just going to leave the plant in her lab. It'll be a surprise for her when she gets in tomorrow.'

'I don't think she's going to be happy that we've been in her lab.' Daniel said stubbornly.

'I agree with Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c said. His dark eyes were shadowed with concerned as they stepped into Sam's lab.

'It'll be fine.' Jack said. 'You guys worry too much.' He placed the plant carefully on the central workbench and stepped back. 'What do you think?'

'I think we shouldn't be in here.' Daniel said.

Jack glared at him. 'Do you think she'll notice it there?'

'I believe so, O'Neill.' Teal'c confirmed.

'Good.' Jack grinned at them. 'We should…'

'What are you all doing in my lab?'

The three men whirled around to face their female team-mate, effectively hiding the small plant. Sam looked back at them suspiciously. Jack looked at Daniel and Daniel shook his head. The Colonel sent a pleading look toward Teal'c who ignored him.

Jack cleared his throat. 'Carter. What are you doing back on base?'

Sam's blue eyes narrowed on him. 'One of the scientists called me to look over some results from an experiment we're running on the gate, sir.'

'And how's that going?' Jack asked amenably, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

Surprise flitted across Sam's face. 'Good, sir.' She gestured at her team-mates. 'You still haven't explained why you're in my lab.' She held Jack's eyes for a brief second. 'Sir.' She added politely.

'Right.' Jack looked around as though noticing his location for the first time before he looked back at her sheepishly. 'Well, the thing is Carter, it was all Teal'c's idea.'

The Jaffa turned slowly around to glower at Jack.

The Colonel hastily stepped aside to reveal the plant. 'He thought you might like,' Jack gestured at the pot, 'this.'

Sam's face lit up with a brilliant smile. 'You bought me a plant?'

'It's to make up for teasing you earlier.' Daniel confirmed as he moved to the side so she could take a better look at their gift.

'This is great.' Sam said, reaching out to gently touch the fragile petals. She hugged Teal'c. 'Thank you.' Daniel stepped forward eagerly to accept his hug. Sam stopped in front of Jack a little hesitantly. He smiled and shrugged as he opened his arms to accept a brief hug from her.

'I can't believe you guys went out and bought me a plant.' Sam shook her head as she turned back to her gift.

'We thought you could keep it here.' Jack said, waving at it. 'Seeing as you said you never got a chance to keep plants at home anymore as you're always here.' He grinned at her. 'And you can technobabble to it all you want.'

Sam blushed but she held his gaze firmly. 'Thank you, sir.'

'Well, my work here is done. I'll leave you to it.' Jack said. He gave another smile and headed for the door.

''Night, sir.' Sam called out.

'I too must leave.' Teal'c said, excusing himself. He bowed to Sam and headed out.

Daniel leaned on the workbench as Sam reached for the plant. 'Sorry about barging into your lab.' He said. 'Jack wanted to surprise you.'

Sam gave him a quick smile of reassurance. 'It's fine.'

'So what's this experiment on the gate?' Daniel asked.

'We're just doing some radiation checks.' Her eyes suddenly narrowed on him. 'You seem a bit brighter.'

'Jack and I talked about our…uh…' Daniel waved vaguely.

'Your argument.' Sam bit her lip to stop from smiling. 'How did it go?'

'Good.' Daniel admitted. 'Good.'

Sam nodded and placed the plant carefully on top one of the cabinets as they headed out of the lab together. 'That's good to hear,' she commented. 'I think Teal'c had plans to make you undergo some kind of Jaffa bonding thing if you hadn't sorted it out.'

Daniel's eyes widened. 'Some kind of Jaffa bonding thing?'

Sam led the way out of her lab. 'Sure. Kel chak mor, I think?'

'I don't suppose he told you what it involved?' Daniel asked hopefully.

'I think he said it involved some kind of wrestling.' Sam noted as they stepped into the elevator.

'Ah.' Daniel smiled. He knew it. Teal'c had just been kidding him and…

'With knives.' Sam added.

Daniel's eyes widened and his gaze shot to Sam's. He saw her smiling smugly back at him. 'You and Teal'c cooked this up to get back at me for teasing you on the planet, haven't you?' He complained huffily as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Sam patted his arm comfortingly, not denying the accusation. 'Teal'c felt guilty that you and the Colonel ended up teasing me just because he asked me a question to stop you two arguing.' She grinned. 'You should see what he has in mind for Colonel O'Neill.'

o-O-o

Jack frowned across the gym mat at Teal'c. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when Teal'c had offered to show him the Jaffa sport of Kel chak mor, he mused, but it wasn't _this_. He cleared his throat nervously and waved at his friend.

'Are you sure the knives are really necessary, Teal'c?'


	39. A Tale of Two Charlies

**Author's Note:** Jacob/Selmak friendship. Jack/Daniel friendship. Jack/Sara.

**Show and Tell Recap:** _The team is surprised when a small boy steps out of an unscheduled incoming wormhole. He tells them he is there to warn them. He insists on speaking only to Jack, claiming he's following instructions from his 'mother'. The Colonel manages to reassure the boy who insists on being called Charlie after learning Jack's late son was named Charlie. The boy tells them he and his mother have been sent to represent the Central Authority of the Retu. His mother is a Retu, an invisible creature which Teal'c's symbiote can sense. The team contact the Tok'ra and Sam's Dad returns to the SGC to help. They also confirm the presence of a Retu, provide the team with new weapons which make the creatures visible and the team go on a reconnaissance mission to confirm the threat. _

_A small group of Retu have already infiltrated the SGC though. The team manage to kill them all but Charlie's mother is also killed in the battle, and Jack injured. Charlie, meanwhile is dying. Created by the Retu, his organs are not capable of sustaining him. Jacob/Selmak offers to take the boy; a Tok'ra symbiote will heal him. Jack says an emotional farewell to Charlie. _

**A Tale of Two Charlies **

Tok'ra Base 

'I'm not sure this was a good idea, Selmak.' Garshaw looked at the small boy asleep in the bed. He was such a tiny bundle underneath all the blankets.

Selmak followed Garshaw's gaze and smiled reassuringly. 'The blending is going well, Garshaw, and Belian is one of the most compassionate amongst us.'

Garshaw sighed. 'You know the Council is questioning the decision to bring him here.'

'We were his only chance of survival, Garshaw,' Selmak pointed out calmly, 'and we are in need of hosts.'

'Some on the Council believe you are being unduly influenced by your host, Selmak.' Garshaw said gently.

Selmak snorted. It was a brief, dismissive sound that summed up how she felt about the Council's opinion.

'Jacob is a parent, Selmak.' Garshaw sighed. 'The Council believes that your decision to bring the child back was motivated by that.'

'Garshaw,' Selmak rejoined, 'you can inform the Council that it was I who offered to save Charlie. Actually, Jacob did not consider it a good idea; he believed it was unfair to make Charlie a host when he is too young to make that decision for himself.'

Garshaw stared at Selmak who stared back resolutely.

'Jacob has been quite vocal about returning to Earth.' Garshaw tried another tack.

'Only because we discovered the Council had sent Martouf when it was discovered that Sokar was threatening the Tau'ri.' Selmek retorted. 'One of the reasons for Jacob's and my blending was for us to provide a liaison between our two people, and at the first opportunity you send someone else. Jacob did not understand and neither did I.'

'We have apologised.' Garshaw said. 'With no disrespect meant to Jacob, Selmak, his questioning of everything we do and how we do it has been…unusual.'

'Perhaps we should get used to it.' Selmak said brightly. '_I_ find it invigorating.' She gestured at her old friend. 'We have been stagnating for too long, Garshaw. We need new passion and fire in our belly. Jacob has that; all the Tau'ri do.'

'Perhaps.' Garshaw allowed. 'But surely you have to agree that we have always done well with our own approach, Selmak.'

Selmak bowed the head of her host slightly. It wasn't an outright agreement but it wasn't a dismissal either.

'Let me know when the boy awakens.' Garshaw swept out of the room.

Selmak watched her go with a sigh and, at the internal mental prod, she let Jacob resume control of the body they shared. Jacob wandered over to the chair by Charlie's bed and sat down.

_Well, that went well_, Jacob noted mentally.

Selmak took note of the smug note in Jacob's internal voice. _Saying I told you so is beneath you, Jacob. _

_I wasn't… _

_You were_, Selmak sighed, _and you were right; the Council blamed you for my decision. _

Jacob took note of Selmak's disappointment. _They don't know me or my people yet. It'll take time to build trust. Isn't that what you said when I was furious with them about the Sokar thing? _

_Repeating my own words back to me will not win you any…_she searched for words and grabbed the ones that popped into Jacob's mind…_brownie points with me. _There was a mental frown. _What are brownie points? _

_Selmak. _

_OK, OK._ Selmak said grumpily.

_Perhaps a more softly, softly approach with the Council is required_, Jacob mused. _Maybe if I'm not making waves about taking more direct action against the Goa'uld, maybe they'll get used to us a little more quickly. Maybe even start trusting our judgement. _

_They should trust us anyway, _Selmak argued, _I am the oldest among them. Still, it is a good strategy_. She sighed again. _It's been so long since my people have challenged the Goa'uld directly, I think we have forgotten how. We are too used to our covert work and staying hidden. _

_Maybe your people have a point, _Jacob noted. _It seems to me that this guy Sokar is gaining power because my people took out Ra and Apophis, and that's not a good thing._

_That is true._ Selmak agreed. _You are right. We will wait and the Council will trust us, _she concluded.

_By the way_, Jacob began a little tentatively, _you didn't mind me referring to you as male, did you?_

_It is less confusing for your people; I understand, Jacob._ Selmak's inner voice was coated with amusement and it reassured Jacob.

Charlie stirred grabbing both of their attention and Jacob reached out to gently tuck the blankets back around the small child.

_Perhaps I should not have brought him_, Selmak murmured wistfully.

_You did the right thing saving him, Selmak, _Jacob comforted her. He brushed a finger over Charlie's cheek. _He kind of reminds me of my kid. _

Selmak saw a flash of a young blond boy in pyjamas decorated with strange pictures of a man in a red cape, being tucked into bed by Jacob. His son, Mark, Selmak realised. The memory was suffused with nostalgia and regret.

_You rarely talk about your son_, Selmak noted.

_Nothing to talk about_, Jacob returned stubbornly.

The mental door slammed shut and Selmak sighed. Jacob's unresolved feelings for his son would have to be addressed at some point.

_Samantha seemed well_, Selmak noted, moving on to Jacob's other child.

_She's doing great, isn't she?_ Pride swelled Jacob's chest. _Did you see how my little girl dealt with that Retu? _

_She seemed concerned for Colonel O'Neill_, Selmak remarked.

_Sam said he lost his own kid, _Jacob reminded her. Sorrow and pity for the other man's loss flitted through him briefly. He smoothed a hand over the child's head before he settled back in the chair. Despite the protestations of the Tok'ra Council, they had at least kept their promise to Jack O'Neill, he mused; this Charlie would grow up; he would live.

o-O-o

The cemetery was filled with a reverent hush that stole over Jack O'Neill as he made his way through the rows of headstones. A brisk, cold breeze lifted his grey hair and brushed over his skin as he finally found the marker he was searching for; a simple white headstone and a brass plaque that was engraved with his late son's name; Charlie O'Neill and the words 'Our Beloved Son.'

Jack felt his heart seize briefly in his chest at the visible evidence of his son's death before it slowly carried on beating. He blinked back the sting of tears and placed the flowers he carried on the ground gently, if awkwardly given one of his arms was constrained by a sling. He stepped back and shoved his good hand further into the deep pocket of his jacket. He cleared his throat unsure where to begin or how to start.

'Hey, Charlie.' His throat closed up and he had to take a deep breath to steady his voice. 'I know I haven't visited for a while.' He winced; he hadn't been since the day of the funeral. 'Well, ever really.' He stared at the headstone sightlessly. 'It's not that I haven't wanted to just…' he sighed, 'it's difficult but I guess you know that.'

He looked away from the grave and cast his sad, brown eyes heavenward instead. He took in the blue sky and wondered at the bright sunshine so at odds with his own mood. He shifted his weight slightly as his attention was drawn back to the headstone. He hadn't chosen it and he couldn't remember if his ex-wife Sara had even discussed it with him. Maybe she had tried and he hadn't listened. He'd spent so much of his time in an alcoholic stupor that most of the month following Charlie's death was a blur; a dull, hazy blur. She'd made a good choice, he thought whimsically. It was small enough not to be ostentatious; large enough to mark the grave as important.

Jack shoved his hand through his hair; he hadn't visited Charlie to make a judgement about the headstone, he considered irritably. The thought prompted the reason why he had finally made the pilgrimage to his son's grave and he let out a long deep sigh. 'I met someone, Charlie.' He wet his lips. 'Another little boy. He wanted to be called Charlie too.'

The image of a small boy with a bald head and big, brown eyes assaulted Jack for a moment and he briefly closed his own eyes as though it would erase the mental image. 'I think you would have liked him, Charlie.' Jack said quietly. 'He's very brave, very…strong.' He gestured at the headstone. 'A good kid.'

He paused again. 'He came to warn us about some…' he searched for an alternative word to aliens, 'people who wanted to hurt us and we stopped them.' It was such a simple sentence given the events of the previous day; the warning of invisible creatures called the Retu, contacting the Tok'ra and the return of Jacob Carter; the mission to check out the intel, the sweep of the base and the final shoot-out. He found himself sub-consciously reaching out with his good hand to rub at the wound on his arm and he jerked it away, stuffing it back in his pocket.

'He was going to die, Charlie.' Jack said softly. 'And he's so young.' His jaw clenched and he pressed his lips together. 'The Doc told me there was nothing she could do and it was…it was just like back in the hospital when we got the news…when you…' he turned away briefly.

'So, anyway, we have these new…friends. And they were able to save him.' He gestured again at the headstone. 'Which is good, right?' He took a deep breath. 'Because he can grow up now. Only,' Jack sighed, 'I had to say goodbye to him because these friends live very far away and…' It had been more difficult than he had imagined for him to say goodbye to the little boy, to hand him into the care of Jacob and watch him disappear into the wormhole.

'I guess having him around made me realise, not how much I miss you because I miss you every day, you have to know that, Charlie,' he took a breath, 'I mean there's not a day when I don't…' his voice broke and he had to stop for a moment.

He reached out and touched the headstone. 'It's just…it made me realise how much I miss being a Dad.' He gave a small humourless laugh. 'I know I wasn't around a lot. I was gone most of the time you were small.' There had been too many missions, too many dangerous assignments away from his family. 'I know I realised that too late, Charlie. I should have been there for you more.' His hand fell away from the marble. 'I'll always regret that. I just…I just wanted to tell you that.'

He didn't know how long he stood there; the wind ruffling through his hair, the sun slowly descending as he remained pinned to the same spot, his eyes locked on the marker in front of him.

'Jack?'

He recognised the incredulous voice as Sara's before he turned around to look at her. 'Hey.'

'It is you,' Sara said cautiously, 'isn't it?'

Jack nodded sheepishly. The last time he had turned up unexpectedly, he'd actually not been himself; he'd been an alien. 'Sorry, I just…' he waved at the grave.

'No, no,' Sara hastened to reassure him as she laid her own bouquet in front of the headstone, 'you have every right to be here. I was just surprised.' She straightened to look at him. 'I didn't know you visited.'

'First time.' Jack admitted.

Sara nodded as though the thought had occurred to her. Her blue eyes scanned over him. 'You're injured.'

Jack's eyebrows rose a little in bewilderment before he suddenly realised remembered his sling. 'Yeah.' He gave a quick, half-smile. 'Flesh wound.'

'But you're OK?' Sara asked, shoving her hands in the pockets of her denim jacket.

'I am.' Jack confirmed. He rocked back on his feet a little. 'You?'

'Great.' Sara nodded.

He noticed her hair had grown out of the short style she had sported the year before. 'I like your hair.'

'Thanks.' Her hand crept up to touch one of the golden locks before it fell away again. 'Actually, it's the weirdest thing.'

'What?' Jack asked.

'Well, I come here sometimes to think something over in my head and today,' she smiled ruefully at him, 'I came to think over whether I should call you.'

'Oh.' Jack's eyes widened. 'Well, that is weird.' He felt a flutter of uncertainty in his belly. After the incident with the alien who'd pretended to be him the year before, they had divorced and even through all of the proceedings they'd had no contact. He wondered what Sara wanted to talk to him about.

'Do you have time for a coffee?' Sara asked.

He was going to refuse her but his eyes caught on the hope in hers and he sighed. 'How about a walk in the park?'

She smiled tentatively at him. 'Sure. Do you want to follow me in your truck or…'

'I don't have the truck.' Jack admitted, interrupting. 'I caught a cab here.'

'I can drive.' Sara offered.

'OK.' Jack followed her back through the headstones to where she had parked. He frowned; she'd changed her car. 'New car?'

'Dad insisted,' Sara said as he settled into the passenger seat. She gunned the engine and drove out onto the main road.

There was silence in the car and Jack debated whether agreeing to talk with his ex-wife was such a good idea; he was still struggling to come to a conclusion when she stopped in front of the park near Jack's house and got out. Jack let her lead the way. Finally, they sat down on a wooden bench and Sara went to get coffee from a vending cart. She returned with two polystyrene cups of coffee and handed one to her ex-husband.

Jack fidgeted with the cup, resting it on the bench beside him. 'So…' he said.

'So.' Sara smiled tightly. 'You're probably wondering why I wanted to talk to you.'

'A little.' Jack gestured at her. 'We haven't really spoken since that day at my house after the thing with the…uh…other me.'

'We said goodbye, Jack. I didn't think there was anything else to say,' Sara admitted.

Jack nodded. It was only the truth.

'Are you still…' Sara grimaced, realising she couldn't ask him out loud.

'Yes.' Jack answered hurriedly. 'Still working in deep space telemetry.'

'And your team?' Sara inquired gently. 'Doctor Jackson and Captain…I want to say Cartwright but that's not right is it?'

'Carter.' Jack corrected her. 'Yeah. I'm still working with them.'

'That's quite unusual, isn't it?' Sara noted. 'To still be working with the same team.' She pulled a face. 'Although, I guess it's an unusual job.'

Jack smiled but he didn't answer.

'I wanted to call you because I had some news.' Sara's finger traced around the rim of her cup.

'Oh?' Jack blew on the hot liquid and took a sip.

'I…well, I, uh…' She gave an apologetic smile. 'I can't believe how difficult this is.'

'Why don't you just spit it out, Sara.' Jack advised, vaguely amused by her discomfort.

'I met someone.'

'Oh.' Jack's eyes widened and he set his cup down. She'd found someone else. Well, of course, she'd found someone else, he berated himself harshly. She was an attractive woman, a very attractive woman who was no longer his wife and he had no right to feel like he had any right…he realised belatedly that she was waiting for him to say something other than 'oh.' He waved his hand at her. 'That's…great.'

'He's a good man, Jack.' Sara said, softly. 'You'd like him.'

Jack squirmed and picked up his cup again. 'Does he make you happy?'

'Yes. He does.' Sara nodded.

'That's all that matters then.' Jack smiled sadly.

She picked up her cup. 'There's more.' She took a gulp of her drink. 'He's asked me to marry him.'

'And you've said yes.' He read the answer in the slightly guilty flush that stole over her cheeks.

'Not yet.' She smoothed the skirt she wore and avoided Jack's eyes.

'Why not?' Jack asked taken aback.

'He asked me because,' she blushed furiously as she stared at the ground, 'well, I'm pregnant.'

He was stunned into silence.

'I know, I know.' Sara said, gesticulating wildly. 'The doctors said it would be difficult after Charlie's birth and I know we tried for years for another child and it didn't happen but…Jack…' her eyes gleamed at him awestruck, 'a baby.'

Jack shook himself and ignored the pang of envy that tugged at his heartstrings. 'Congratulations.'

'I feel like I've been given another chance, you know.' Sara continued. 'After Charlie…' tears sprang into her eyes, 'I never thought I'd be a Mom again.' Her eyes met his anxiously. 'I'm so scared, Jack.'

Jack reached across the space between them and took hold of her hand. 'You're going to be fine.' He assured her confidently. 'You were a great Mom. Are.' He corrected as he squeezed her hand.

She smiled at him tremulously. 'Thank you.' She gently returned his squeeze with one of her own. 'I think I needed to hear that from you.'

'I don't know why,' Jack said bemused, 'you were always the one who was there for Charlie; not me.'

'You shouldn't be too hard on yourself, Jack.' Sara looked at him intently. 'You have to know by now that what happened wasn't your fault.'

Jack ignored her reassurance and withdrew his hand slowly. He picked up his cup again and took a big gulp of the semi-warm liquid.

She sighed at the guarded look in his eyes. 'So, what about you?' She gestured with her own cup. 'Are you seeing someone?'

Jack hesitated for the briefest of moments before he shook his head.

'But you're interested in someone.' Sara suggested, her eyes narrowing on him.

An image of Sam popped into his head and he resolutely pushed it away. 'Nope,' he said out loud.

'Which means yes.' Sara contradicted him. 'Come on, Jack, I know you.'

He sighed at the knowing look in her eyes. 'It's complicated.'

'How is it complicated?' Sara questioned him.

He shrugged. 'I work with her.'

Sara looked at him intently and for a long moment he thought she'd guessed he'd meant Carter. 'You deserve to be happy, Jack,' she said kindly. 'Don't forget that.'

He gave a huff of laughter.

'This is weird, huh?' Sara laughed. 'You and me sitting here talking about being involved with other people.'

'Weird.' Jack agreed. 'So, when do you think you'll marry this guy?'

'I guess as soon as possible.' Sara pulled a face. 'I don't want a bump going down the aisle.' There was a ringing noise from her purse and she drew out a cell phone with an apologetic smile. 'Hi. OK. No, I'll be right there. Sure.' She closed it up.

Jack looked at her questioningly.

'Sorry, Dad's broken down. I'm going to have to…' She was already getting to her feet.

'Sure.' Jack said immediately.

'Do you need dropped somewhere or…'

Jack waved away her offer, leaning back on the bench and settling in. 'I'm OK. I'll call the base to send a car to pick me up.'

'OK then.' Sara hovered for a second before she moved suddenly. She hugged him briefly and kissed his cheek. 'Thank you.' She whispered in his ear. She straightened and he caught hold of her arm.

'Good luck.' He said sincerely.

'You too, Jack.' She squeezed his hand and he let go of it.

He watched her walk out before he reached for his own cell phone and flipped it open. He pressed a button and his speed dial kicked in. He raised it to his ear. 'Hey. It's me.' He closed his eyes at the reply. 'I know I was just…look, I'm at the park on Baker's Avenue. Can you pick me up? Yeah. Thanks.' He shut the phone and picked up his coffee.

Twenty minutes later, he saw the car pull up in front of the main entrance and he walked out. Daniel Jackson got of the driver's seat and walked around to the passenger side. He opened the door for Jack who climbed in without a word.

Jack let his head fall back on the seat and closed his eyes as Daniel got back in and started driving. He let the rhythmic noise of the engine soothe him.

'Are you OK?' Daniel asked, his words coated with concern.

'Peachy.' Jack said tersely.

'You know Sam, Teal'c and I stopped by your place earlier,' Daniel continued, 'you weren't there so Sam took Teal'c back to the base.'

Jack stayed silent.

'We were worried.' Daniel said finally.

Jack sighed exasperated even if he was touched that his team had checked up on him. 'I'm fine.' He looked over at a sceptical Daniel. 'I'm fine.'

'We know it wasn't easy for you,' Daniel said, 'saying goodbye to…to Charlie.'

Jack was silent for a long moment as he turned over Daniel's words in his head. It hadn't been easy saying goodbye to Charlie – either one of them; his son and the young Retu boy. 'I saw Sara.' His eyes widened at his admission. He wondered if he had actually said it out loud.

'Your wife?' Daniel clarified.

Crap. He had said it out loud. 'Ex-wife.' Jack corrected tiredly. He caught Daniel's quizzical glance. 'We ran into each other at the cemetery.'

A look of understanding flitted over Daniel's intelligent face. 'How is she?'

'Pregnant.' Jack said bluntly.

Daniel's head snapped back to him in shock and Jack read the conclusion the other man had jumped to in his blue eyes.

'It's not mine!' He denied hurriedly. 'She's met someone else. She's getting married.'

'Oh.' Daniel sighed.

'That's what I said.' Jack noted, thumping his thigh gently with his good hand.

'How do you feel about that?' Daniel asked.

'How do you think I feel, Daniel?' Jack asked angrily. 'I'm thrilled.'

Daniel concentrated on driving and there was silence.

'Sorry.' Jack said eventually.

'That's OK.' Daniel lifted a hand off the wheel momentarily. 'It must have been a shock. I mean I know you guys have been divorced a while but still.'

'Yeah.' Jack nodded. 'She seems happy.' He stared out of the windscreen. 'That's all that's important.' He sighed and brushed his hand through his hair. 'How's Carter doing? She OK after seeing her Dad again?'

Daniel nodded. 'I think it's helped reassure her that she did the right thing suggesting he take Selmak.'

'It saved his life.' Jack commented dryly.

'I think she was worried he would regret it or that the Tok'ra had lied.' Daniel remarked.

'I know the feeling.' Jack said, his mind once again drifting to the young boy who bore his son's name.

'Charlie will be fine, Jack.' Daniel reassured him as though he'd read his friend's mind. 'Jacob and Selmak will take care of him.'

Jack looked unseeingly out of the window at the passing scenery. 'I hope so, Daniel.' He replied out loud. 'I really hope so.'


	40. Can't Argue with Destiny

**Author's Note:** Team friendship. Hammond/Jacob friendship. Special Guest: Catherine Langford.

**1969 Recap:** _Hammond hands Sam a note before a mission telling her not to read it until she gets on the other side. SG1 embark on the mission only to step through the wormhole and seemingly find themselves back in the gate room; it disappears almost immediately and they are left under a missile about to undergo a test burn. Teal'c zats the missile saving them but they are quickly taken prisoner. They are in the Cheyenne facility in 1969 with the wormhole somehow transporting them back in time. A young Lieutenant Hammond finds the note which is addressed to himself. He arranges for a flat tire during the transport of SG1 elsewhere and helps them escape after they convince him that they will know him in the future. Jack zats Hammond to ensure he isn't court-martialled or his actions._

_The team hitch a ride with a couple, Michael and Jenny, to New York hoping to find Catherine Langford and discover the location of the Stargate. En route, Sam works out that it was a solar flare that must have been responsible for the time travel, and that the rest of Hammond's note, two dates and specific times, must refer to flares that happened in 1969 which will help them get back home. Jack and Teal'c test out Sam's theory at an observatory confirming that the first date and time does correlate to the occurrence of a solar flare, while Daniel and Sam go incognito to Catherine who reveals the location of the Stargate. The team just manage to find the gate and establish a wormhole in time to make the jump forward in time but land many years in the future, leaving an elderly Cassie to send them home to the right time where they are greeted by a relieved General Hammond._

**Can't Argue with ****Destiny**

1969

'Take a seat, Lieutenant.'

George Hammond sat down nervously in the chair Major West indicated to him and waited. It had been over a week since he had helped four strangers, who had claimed to be from his future, escape from the custody of his government. His stomach still churned over the decision. Had he made the right choice? The whole incident seemed surreal. Time travel; notes from himself; ray guns…

He'd already endured two days of interrogation following the prisoners' escape before he'd satisfied his own command that he had no knowledge of how the prisoners had gotten free, and the summons to Washington hadn't surprised him.

West looked at him for a long moment before he glanced back down at the folder on his desk and reached for his cigarette pack. He lit one, took a long drag and sat back in his chair as he blew out the blue smoke. 'Hammond, is it?'

'Yes, sir.' Hammond responded crisply.

'You were there when the…spies escaped.' West stated.

Hammond reminded himself to breathe normally. 'Yes, sir.'

'Take me through it, Lieutenant.' West ordered, his eyes never shifted from Hammond's.

'We had a flat, sir. I ordered Franks to assist the driver and I went to the back of the truck to watch the prisoners.'

'Why?'

Hammond wet his lips and his pale red eyebrows rose a little. 'Why, sir?'

'Why?' West waved his hand at Hammond. 'Why did you go back? They were secured, weren't they? The truck was locked. They had nowhere to go. Why did you feel it necessary to go back and check?'

'Well, I…' Hammond stuttered a little before he regained his composure. 'I guess the flat made me a little nervous, sir.'

'Hmmm.' West's cold eyes flickered back to the report. 'You said that the spies had somehow inexplicably managed to free themselves from the cuffs securing them.'

'Yes, sir.'

'And that,' his gaze landed back on Hammond, 'they drew out their ray gun and pointed it at you, at which time you called out for help, and that's the last thing you remember.'

Hammond didn't flinch under the unrelenting stare. 'Yes, sir.'

'You know what I can't figure out, Hammond? How did they get a ray gun?' West said smoothly.

'The female wasn't searched, sir, as we have no female personnel assigned to the base currently.' Hammond pointed out. 'We assumed she had handed over everything voluntarily.'

'Females.' West scowled and stabbed his cigarette out in the overflowing ashtray on the desk and got up suddenly. He paced across the room and stood staring at a map of America, his hands clasped behind his back. 'Off the record, Hammond, who do you think these people were?'

Hammond's blue eyes widened in surprise. 'Sir?'

'You're an intelligent officer, Hammond.' West said without turning round. 'You have to concede that a team consisting of a black, a woman and a guy with specs is a strange choice for the Russians to send to infiltrate a secure facility. So, I'm asking you, Hammond, who do you think they were?'

'I don't know, sir.' Hammond answered truthfully.

'Did they say anything to you, son?' West turned back to Hammond and pinned him again with another look. 'When you were in the back of the truck?'

'Nothing much, sir.' Hammond answered easily. 'They mentioned the moon landing, I think to distract me.'

West frowned. 'The moon landing?'

'Yes, sir.' Hammond nodded, more comfortable after sharing a partial truth.

West headed back for the desk. 'I'll remind you that you're never to discuss this event with anyone, Lieutenant. You're dismissed.'

'Sir.' Hammond left the office swiftly. He took a deep breath outside the closed door and headed down the corridor. He glanced at his watch. He wasn't due to get his flight back to Petersen until the next day and there was somewhere else he had to visit.

1969

'George!' Jacob Carter beamed at his old friend and gave him a manly hug to welcome him before he stepped back and allowed the other man into his Washington home.

'Jake.' Hammond smiled at the dark-haired Lieutenant happily. 'Sorry to barge in on you like this.'

'Hey, no problem.' Jacob led the way through the apartment to the living room.

'George!' Katherine Carter smiled and crossed the room quickly to hug her husband's friend. 'It's wonderful to see you.'

'It's good to be seen.' Hammond answered. 'You just get more beautiful each time I see you, Kathy.' It was true; the beautiful blonde seemed to age more gracefully with each passing year but this time his eyes lingered on the shape of her face. He was sure he'd seen the same features in the young woman who had named herself as Samantha Carter. It had been a few days before he placed why the name had seemed so familiar to him.

Katherine laughed and patted his arm. 'How's Ellie?' She asked, referring to Hammond's own wife as she waved him into a seat.

'She's great; sends her love.' Hammond said, sitting down.

'And your daughter?' Katherine continued.

'Doing fine.' Hammond allowed with another smile. 'She's a pistol.' He spread his hands. 'How are your kids?'

'Good. They're sleeping.' Jacob said as he sat down in a chair opposite his old comrade.

'I'll get some drinks.' Katherine kissed Jacob's cheek on her way past her husband and Hammond smiled at the wifely gesture and Jacob's evident enjoyment of it.

'So what's going on?' Jacob asked. 'Why are you in town?'

'Debriefing.' Hammond said succinctly. 'I had some time before my flight and thought I'd look you up.'

'Hmmm.' Jacob's dark eyes gleamed suspiciously. 'You know the rumour mill has it there were Russian spies found at that mountain of yours a week ago.'

'You and your rumour mill.' Hammond said fondly. He had to admit that Jacob had a hell of a network.

'Well?' Jacob pressed, realising that Hammond hadn't actually answered the question.

'Jacob, it's a training facility where nothing of import happens at all.' Hammond said with a laugh in an attempt to deflect the other man. 'You really think the Russians are that desperate?'

'Maybe,' Jacob grinned ruefully, 'maybe not. I tell you though the strangest thing happened at one of the armouries here yesterday.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah,' Jacob gestured at him, 'there was some kind of break in. Weird thing is, the whole place is a junkyard of old stuff lying around from the Second World War. I mean who wants any of that?'

Hammond felt his heart pounding. The day before had been August 11th and he couldn't help remembering how it had been one of the dates on the note his future self had apparently written. Was the break in at the armoury connected to the four time travellers in some way?

'Are you OK, George?' Jacob asked concerned.

'Fine. I'm fine.' Hammond managed to get the words out of his mouth. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to come by, he mused. He was about to make his excuses and leave when he heard pounding footsteps along the corridor and an instant later a small blond child burst into the room.

'Hey!' Jacob admonished his son even as he swept him up into his arms. 'What have I told you about running in the apartment?'

Mark Carter smiled shyly at his father. 'Sorry, Daddy.' His sleepy eyes landed on the man sitting on the sofa and widened apprehensively.

'You remember your Uncle George?' Jacob said, hugging him as he looked curiously over at him.

Mark nodded slowly.

Hammond smiled warmly at him. 'Well, don't you look all grown up? You were just a baby the last time I saw you.'

Jacob shook his head. 'They grow up so fast, George.'

Katherine appeared in the doorway with her hands filled with a tray of drinks. She placed it on the coffee table and smiled at the sight of Jacob and Mark. The distant sound of a baby wailing drifted in from the corridor.

'I guess that's my cue.' She made her way hastily out of the room.

Hammond picked up his coffee and took a grateful sip as Jacob turned the conversation to the latest sports news. They were in the middle of a heated debate about the baseball player of the past season when Katherine walked back inside with her arms filled with the Carter's youngest child. Hammond stopped talking mid-sentence.

Jacob laughed loudly. 'Anybody would think you hadn't seen a baby before, George.'

'Sorry, I…' Hammond blushed furiously and tried to regain his composure as Katherine sat down beside him.

'You haven't seen her since the christening, have you?' Katherine adjusted her hold so she could show off her daughter better.

Hammond looked over at the small bundle. 'You'll have to forgive me, Kathy but I've forgotten what you guys named her.' His heart pounded loudly in his chest as he waited for the answer.

Katherine gave an exaggerated sigh but her eyes twinkled at him. 'Samantha.'

'Samantha.' Hammond repeated. He shook his head. It couldn't be…could it?

The baby's eyes opened and Hammond suddenly found himself looking into familiar and startling blue eyes.

'Wow.' Hammond muttered.

'She's something, isn't she, George?' Jacob grinned as he adjusted his hold on his son.

Katherine smoothed her hand over the little girl's soft downy hair. 'I think she's destined for great things.'

Hammond nodded. 'I think you could be right, Kathy.' He murmured. 'I think you might be right.'

o-O-o

1997

Catherine Langford punched the elevator button and stepped back. She took a deep breath and tried to rein in her temper. US military morons, she thought derisively; what did they know about the programme really? She ran the telephone conversation she'd had with General West back through her head as her fingers looped around the amulet she wore. _Not making progress. No sign of establishing the wormhole. Need to reassign the military personnel. Need to show that the programme isn't standing still. A month left to either establish a wormhole or the programme would be disbanded…_

She sighed and headed for the control room. The room was a hive of energy and at the centre of it was a blonde bombshell. Catherine watched her from afar for a while, noting how the young woman had a ready smile for everyone, an encouraging word to the shyest of the technicians, a bright laugh at some joke one of the others told.

Samantha Carter, or rather Lieutenant Samantha Carter. If it wasn't for the uniform Catherine would happily forget the military title. She hadn't been keen when West had suggested Samantha join the team but she had been unable to deny the Lieutenant's academic credentials and her sheer technical brilliance. The team had moved in leaps and bounds as soon as she had joined. The makeshift dialling programme had been almost rewritten and refined; the supercomputer redesigned and put together. Technically, they had everything they needed to make the strange metal ring work and that was largely down to Samantha.

She was going to miss her, Catherine thought sadly. She knew the young woman would be amongst the first they reassigned and they'd grown close during Samantha's time on the project. It was weird, she mused, but she'd always felt like she had known Samantha before; maybe in another life. She sighed and moved on, heading to her office. She stopped at the sound of her name being called and turning questioningly to the man hurrying towards her.

'Doctor Langford.' Gary Fine bustled toward her an envelope in his hand. He beamed at her widely. 'This came for you.'

'Thank you, Gary.' Catherine took it and made to go into her office.

'Are you sure we need this guy?' Gary asked. 'Because if you ask me…'

'I didn't.' Catherine softened her words with a smile. 'Doctor Jackson interests me a great deal. His article on the pyramids…'

'Is a load of hooey.' Gary pointed out. 'He's been discredited by every single reputable academic institution and let's not forget who his grandfather is.'

Catherine sighed. 'Gary, Doctor Jackson may have come up with some unique theories but surely the very existence of our Doorway to Heaven should make us a little more sympathetic to his theories.'

Gary looked suitably abashed and he rushed to change the subject as his cheeks flooded with red. 'What did General West say?'

'Oh, the usual.' Catherine said dismissively. She sat down in her leather chair and reached for her letter opener. 'We just need to find the seventh symbol.'

'I'll…uh…get back to it.' Gary gestured down the corridor and when Catherine didn't argue he moved away swiftly.

Catherine shook her head a little. Gary was good, amongst the best – or he wouldn't be at the mountain at all – but he lacked…imagination. She nodded. That was it; imagination. Perhaps the young Doctor Jackson would have it. She slit open the envelope and withdrew the contents of the official Air Force background check she had requested. Photos and documents spilled out and onto her desk. She sifted through them and froze.

Her trembling fingers picked up the photo and she stared at it in shock. She knew that man; she had met him before…her mind flashed back…

New York. 1969. The son of a friend of her father's. He had asked about the ring…he had wanted to know about its location. It had been that meeting which had prompted her to renew her interest, to petition the military and continue her father's research yet Daniel Jackson was the spitting image of the German that had sat on her sofa and drank tea with her in 1969. She shook her head. It couldn't be the same man…it just couldn't.

A short sharp knock on her door alerted her to the imminent entry of someone and she jerked her gaze up to see Samantha Carter walking in her head down as she jotted something on a clipboard.

'Catherine, we've managed to make some modifications to the dialling programme and…' Sam looked up and stumbled to a halt at the pale shock that lined the older woman's face. 'Catherine? Are you OK?' She hurried forward.

Catherine stared at the Lieutenant and for the first time saw past the uniform and saw another version of the same woman; dressed in a peasant skirt and blouse, pink sunglasses adorning her face and sat next to Daniel Jackson on her sofa in 1969.

'Catherine?' Sam asked gently.

'I'm fine.' Catherine said hastily. 'I'm fine.' She shook herself. 'Just a little distracted. You were saying…'

'It can wait.' Sam said, frowning. 'Are you sure you're OK?'

'Nothing a good cup of tea won't cure.' Catherine assured her brightly. 'I'm sorry, Samantha, but I need to…' she waved a hand at the mess on her desk.

Sam's blue eyes dropped and she took in the heap of photos and documents. 'Oh. Oh, of course.' She smiled brightly. 'I'll leave you to it.' She left closing the door behind her.

Catherine got to her feet and paced a little. What did it mean? Was the Doorway to Heaven actually a time travel device? They thought it was a way to travel the stars…would she hire Daniel Jackson and would he and Samantha Carter travel back through time to 1969? They obviously knew her or they wouldn't have sought her out all those years ago? Or was she being fanciful? Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her.

She sat down heavily and picked up the photo again. The man who had introduced himself as the son of a German professor close to her father was Daniel Jackson and the woman who had sat beside him was Samantha Carter. There was no doubt in her mind. Somehow they had travelled back in time but obviously at some point in the future because Samantha definitely had no knowledge of their meeting in the past.

He'd done it. The thought shot through her like lightening. Daniel Jackson would find the seventh symbol, she realised. They would get the ring to work and they would actually go through the wormhole. That was the future. She had seen it already. She picked up the phone excitedly. 'Hello? Yes. I need to make immediate transport arrangements.' Her fingers tapped the photo thoughtfully. 'I have a lecture I need to attend.'

o-O-o

1998

Hammond didn't bother looking up from the report he was reading at the knock on his office door. He called for the person to enter almost absently as he ran his eyes over the details of the latest gate schedule.

'General Hammond.'

Catherine Langford's voice had Hammond's head snapping up. 'Doctor Langford.' He rose to his feet and gestured at the chair in front of his desk. 'Please come in.'

Catherine closed the door behind her and took a seat a little tentatively. 'I'm sorry to disturb you, General.'

'Not at all,' Hammond said charmingly, 'and please call me George.' He smiled at her. 'How is Doctor Littlefield?'

'He's still being checked over in your infirmary.' Catherine confirmed. She shifted, inching forward on the chair. 'I cannot thank you enough for allowing us to rescue him.'

'I'm just pleased at the outcome.' Hammond said. 'You'll be returning to New York?'

'Yes.' Catherine smiled. 'Ernest and I have a whole lifetime to catch up on together.' She shifted again, her expression sobering. 'I thought that I might take the opportunity to speak with you before I leave; one Stargate programme leader to another?'

'It's an honour.' Hammond said sincerely.

'You may not feel that after you've heard what I have to say.' Catherine laughed lightly. She gestured at him. 'I've debated whether to say anything but,' her dark eyes met his curious blue ones, 'I would want to know in your place.'

Hammond leaned forward over his desk. 'Please go on.'

Catherine nodded. 'You may not believe this, General, but I swear to you that it's the truth.'

'Believe me when I say nothing much around here surprises me anymore.' Hammond said encouragingly.

'Sometime in the future,' Catherine began, 'Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson will travel back in time.'

Hammond blinked at her; his heart started pounding in his chest.

'I know that sounds crazy,' Catherine waved a hand at him, 'and I assure you I'm not mad.'

'It doesn't sound as crazy as you might think.' Hammond murmured. 'Perhaps you should tell me everything.'

'Where to begin?' Catherine wondered out loud, smoothing her hands on her thighs. 'I was in New York teaching at the time when I received a call from a man who claimed to be the son of a friend of my father, and asked me for a meeting.' Her eyes unfocused as her mind travelled back in time to her New York parlour. 'He arrived with a pretty blonde woman and he spoke fluent German. He knew about the Stargate and claimed to have found a…well, that's not important. He knew enough that he gained my trust and I told him where the Stargate was located. Of course, it had been packed up and put out to pasture in some armoury in Washington after what I thought were my father's failed experiments in 1940s.'

'What year was this?' Hammond asked urgently.

Catherine met his gaze and wondered at the banked excitement there. 'It must have been 1969.'

Hammond gave a sigh and slumped back in his leather chair. '1969?'

She nodded enthusiastically. 'But that isn't what's important; what's important is that the young woman and man who I met in 1969…'

'Are actually Captain Carter and Doctor Jackson.' Hammond completed.

'I didn't realise it until I saw Daniel's photo in the material the Air Force put together for the background check on him.' She shook her head a little in disbelief. 'I must have worked for over a year with Samantha and not recognised her.'

'But you didn't say anything?' Hammond checked.

'Of course not.' Catherine looked at him askance and she gestured at him furiously. 'Believe me, I almost decided not to tell _you_.'

Hammond got to his feet and paced over to the small internal window and stared out of it for a moment before he turned back to Catherine. 'I have a confession.'

'Oh?'

He cleared his throat. 'I'm already aware that SG1 will visit the past.'

Catherine's eyes widened. 'You…how?'

Hammond gestured at her as he sat back down. 'I was stationed here at the mountain in '69. Somehow a group of four people managed to sneak into the missile silo. They were arrested. In the pocket of one of their vests, I found a note in my handwriting telling me to help them.'

'Incredible.' Catherine murmured. Her eyes intent on the General's.

'Against my better judgement, I helped them escape.' Hammond sighed. 'Luckily, Colonel O'Neill was able to destroy all the evidence of their visit and he knocked me out so I was able to avoid a court-martial.' He tapped the top of his desk thoughtfully. 'They must have sought you out after they left me in order to find the Stargate. I always wondered how they discovered where it was because my note was pretty brief.'

'You…' Catherine stared at him. 'You know that they found it?'

Hammond nodded. 'Two guards from the armoury reported seeing four people disappear through shimmering blue water in the middle of the metal ring.'

'The Air Force knew all along how to activate the Stargate?' Catherine stuttered.

'No.' Hammond shook his head. 'The guards were unable to say what symbols had been dialled. It only confirmed that…'

'The Stargate could be dialled.' Catherine got to her feet and paced. 'This is…amazing. It explains so much.'

'It does?'

She spun around and pointed at Hammond. 'I always wondered why the Air Force was so willing to hear my petition to reopen the programme and why they had brought the Stargate here to the mountain.' She shook her head as she sat down heavily. 'It all makes sense.'

'I'm glad it does to you.' Hammond commented.

'Don't you see?' Catherine said passionately. 'This is a perfect example of effect preceding cause. Because SG1 travelled back in time, the Air Force moved the Stargate here; they were open to the idea of the programme being reinstated which meant it was more likely it would be.' She gestured. 'It was that visit in the past that renewed my interest in the Stargate and prompted me to seek out getting my father's research restarted. More than that, it was the reason why I approached Daniel; I knew he would be successful because I had already met him.'

'I know how you feel.' Hammond said with a laugh. 'I think West assigned me to the programme at the Pentagon because he knew I'd been at the mountain in 1969.'

Catherine placed a hand on his desk. 'Tell me honestly, would you have put them together as a team if you hadn't met them in the past?'

Hammond stared at her for a long moment. 'Honestly?' He sighed. 'No.' He clasped his hands. 'Teal'c was an enemy soldier, and both Doctor Jackson and Colonel O'Neill had conspired to fabricate the truth about the first mission to Abydos.'

'And Samantha? Her abilities as a scientist would normally take precedence over a field assignment?' Catherine pressed.

Hammond nodded.

'But knowing you had seen them in the past changed your mind?' Catherine surmised.

'Yes.' Hammond sighed. 'It wasn't easy to convince my superiors though especially about Teal'c.'

'I can imagine.' Catherine sighed and leaned back. 'Incredible. To think that their visit to the past may have spurred all this.' She waved a hand at his office.

'I can't tell you how many times I've wondered if I've made some decision that would change all this.' Hammond confessed.

'You have to keep believing in yourself, General.' Catherine said firmly. She stood up. 'Well, I shall leave you to it. I can see they are in good hands.'

'I'm pleased you think so.' Hammond said, rising to his own feet.

Catherine smiled at him. 'Whatever help you gave them meant they went back through the Stargate, General.' Her smile widened at his look of incomprehension. 'They'll come home.' She clarified and saw the spark of realisation in his pale blue eyes. 'They'll come back home.'

o-O-o

1999

'…obviously as I knew the solar flares were the most likely cause of time travel, that combined with Captain Carter's injury confirmed to me that it was this mission when you would be sent back.' Hammond explained to his spellbound audience of the newly returned SG1. They had changed out of their '69 outfits and were back in the plain green of the base BDUs. 'So I wrote the note and gave it to Captain Carter. I hoped that the information on there would enable you to get home.'

'It did, sir.' Sam smiled warmly at him.

'I can't believe that you've known all this time.' Daniel murmured. He pushed his glasses up his nose. 'I mean, I don't know how you managed not to say anything.'

'Yes, well,' Hammond gave a small smile, 'I knew saying anything explicit might have affected the time-line.'

'It must be quite a relief,' Daniel continued, 'to finally be able to talk about it and acknowledge that it happened.'

'I was able to speak to Doctor Langford about it.' Hammond noted with a smile. 'She confided her own experience in me when we rescued Doctor Littlefield.'

'She recognised us?' Daniel's eyes widened with shock. 'Wow. She never said anything.'

Hammond nodded. 'We've both been waiting for this for a long time.'

'I'll have to call her.' Daniel mused out loud. 'Thank her for her help.'

'I'm sure she'd appreciate that.' Hammond said with a smile. 'And I have to admit that I'm pleased that I don't have to second guess my actions any longer and worry that the decisions I make will change the future. You've all given me some bad moments, I can tell you.'

The team in front of him exchanged an amused look.

'I think I speak for all of us, sir, when I say thank _you_.' Jack smiled at him warmly. 'We couldn't have made it home without your help. Speaking of which, sir,' he coughed, 'your actions in 1969…'

'You could be retrospectively court-martialled, sir.' Sam finished, seeing where Jack was going with his statement.

'I've already spoken with my superiors. I raised it with them as soon as it was confirmed that you had disappeared.' Hammond waved away their concern. 'While they weren't particularly happy with my past actions, they've agreed that there will be no court-martial given the circumstances.' He took a breath. 'But they have also indicated that this mission report will be given the highest security clearance and sealed.'

'They don't want anyone to know that the Stargate was able to be used for time travel.' Jack concluded.

'Exactly, Colonel.' Hammond confirmed.

'A wise decision.' Teal'c noted.

'Well, that's unlikely to happen, sir.' Sam pointed out. 'We could only ever time travel intentionally if we were able to predict the exact time of a solar flare and our technology is nowhere near advanced enough to predict solar flare activity.'

'Be that as it may, Captain, the orders still stand.' Hammond said. 'Further, all missions where the wormhole may take us too close to the sun during a known period of solar flares will be delayed.'

'Yes, sir.' Sam acknowledged the orders with a nod.

'So, this shouldn't happen to us again?' Jack checked, tapping the table with a pen. 'I can live with that.'

'Me too, Colonel.' Hammond looked around the table briefly. 'I think we're done here unless anyone has anything else to add to the report?'

They shook their heads.

'Well, it's good to have you back, SG1. Dismissed.' Hammond headed for his office. He paused in the doorway and looked back at the team he met all those years before as they filed out of the room and nodded in satisfaction.

SG1 headed to the elevator together.

'I looked up Michael and Jenny.' Sam admitted as soon as they got inside the small compartment.

'And?' Jack asked, curious himself to know what had happened to the two people who had helped them in the past.

'Michael went to 'Nam. He was medically discharged in 1971.' Sam informed him crisply. 'He and Jenny are still married and living in Idaho.'

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

'That's good.' Jack said. 'That's good.'

'You know what is weird,' Daniel began, wrapping his arms around his chest as he leaned on the back wall of the elevator.

'What?' Jack asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

'Well, when you think about it, we went back in time which prompted General Hammond to ensure we ended up together as a team.' Daniel said. 'I can't help but wonder…'

'Wonder what?' Jack prompted.

'Oh, what happened in the original time-line?' Daniel said, waving at the military man.

'This could be the original time-line.' Sam argued. 'One theory of time travel presupposes that effect can precede cause.'

'I do not understand, Captain Carter.' Teal'c said, looking over at his female team-mate with a slightly quizzical expression.

'Well, one theory suggests that an event in the future can have an effect on the past even though it hasn't happened yet.' Sam explained. 'So, in this case, our journey back to 1969 enabled the future that actually created the event that sent us back to 1969.'

Teal'c frowned and Jack shook his head imperceptibly to stop him from continuing to ask Sam for an explanation; it wasn't going to get any clearer.

'You mean our actions prompted the military to re-look into the Stargate.' Daniel suggested.

'Or Catherine.' Sam pointed out. 'Our visit may have prompted her to reopen the research.'

'Which the military might have been more open to as they would have known that the Stargate had been dialled successfully again when we went through.' Daniel added. 'The two guards at the armoury saw us.'

'Indeed.' Teal'c murmured.

'And you heard General Hammond.' Sam continued. 'He admitted that he was more predisposed to put us together as a team because he had met us in the past.'

'Are you suggesting the universe conspired to make us a team, Carter?' Jack asked dryly.

'Or destiny.' Daniel asserted. 'Maybe we were destined to be SG1.'

'You know I kinda like the sound of that.' Jack admitted, rocking back on his heels.

'Me too, sir.' Sam agreed.

'As do I.' Teal'c finished.

Contentment filled the elevator; destiny had made them a team and more than that, it had made them a family.

o-O-o

**Author's Note:** This completes volume one of Aftershocks. The TAGs will continue in volume two which is now posted. The story id for Aftershocks II is 3512344.


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